Deceit
by Curiositykils
Summary: Every relationship has its little lies...
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer- I own no names that you recognise. J.K Rowling does._

ooo

"_**False friends are like our shadow, keeping close to us while we walk in the sunshine, but leaving us the instant we cross into the shade." Christian N. Bovee **__**(1820- 1904)**_

_21/06/2010, 18:15, 26 Woolwich Place, London_

John Iudex rubbed his eyes tiredly whilst he glanced at the clock. It showed the time to be quarter past six. His wife was not going to be happy that he was once again going to be late for dinner. This case had pushed his workload over the boundary of capability but he had been asked to do this as a special favour to a work colleague. As he looked at the three faces sitting on the other side of his desk, he hoped this would be the end of it and he would finally get the desperate reprieve he needed.

He shuffled the papers on his desk importantly for the second time in 15 seconds. The Malfoy's always had a way of making him feel inadequate. He sighed and cleared his throat. Best start and get this over with quickly. Judging by the thinly masked greed in the three pairs of eyes in front of him, they too wanted to hear what he had to say as soon as it could come out of his mouth.

"I have here the last will and testament of Vega Lupe Winlock, nee Malfoy. It states that in the event of her death, all her possessions are to be left to her youngest living relative on her mother's side of the family. After much searching I have established that you…" John flicked his eyes up from the parchment he was reading to regard the young man sitting in one of the client chairs in front of him, before he quickly looked back down when he caught the blond man's eye "…Draconis Malfoy are her youngest living relative and therefore it is you who inherits her collection of antique paintings, cottage in France and a sum of roughly 50,000 Galleons."

John stopped reading and waited a moment, allowing the news to sink in before he carried on. The hunger was now clearly visible. John knew that before the War had been won, 50,000 Galleons whilst being an enormous amount of money to any normal wizarding family, would have been spare change to a family like the Malfoy's. However, he like everyone else in the Wizarding World knew the financial distress the War had created for them. Despite the fact that Lucius Malfoy had been sentenced to a paltry three years in Azkaban, his business, belongings and various Gringotts accounts had been seized by the Ministry. 50,000 Galleons in the past may have been measly but today it would be their saviour.

"When can I get access to it?" were the first words that came out of Draconis's mouth and John hesitated with what he had to say next. He repeatedly told himself the disgraced Malfoy's had no reason to cause such fear to rise within him, but looking into the cold hardened silver eyes of ex Death Eaters made him wonder what they were capable of.

"I'm afraid that there are some conditions attached to the money." John said in response to the youngest Malfoy's question. His eyes flicked to the young man's parents and he registered the startled look on Narcissa's hollow face and the hardening of Lucius's eyes.

"And what exactly would these conditions entail?" Lucius asked.

John swallowed the lump in his throat before speaking. "It states that even though Mr Malfoy is her youngest relative on her mother's side, the money will go to the youngest relative who is currently or has been in a relationship with a Muggleborn witch or wizard."

Lucius's mouth turned into a sneer and his jaw locked together. Draco, who had been wondering just who this aunt of his was, snapped back as he heard the words emit from the lawyer's mouth.

"A relationship with a Muggleborn witch?" he heard his mother balk.

His father scoffed and the sneer on his face deepened. "Of course. I should have expected my dear niece to do something like this." He drawled.

Draco's mind started racing. 50,000 Galleons. He needed that money and he needed it now. It was his ticket out of the despondent life he was currently living. He tuned back in to listen to what the mousey man in front of him was saying.

"...es. That is actually why I invited you to come and see me today. I have to ask Mr Malfoy if he is or has been in a relationship with a muggleborn witch."

There was a moment's silence as the three Malfoy's quickly searched their minds to find a loophole or solution so they could get that money.

John felt guiltily happy that it didn't seem like the Malfoy's would be getting the money. He felt sorry for their situation but it was nothing they hadn't created themselves. Frankly, he didn't think they deserved such a get out card from their circumstances. "You understand that if you haven't Mr Malfoy, the money and all other of your aunt's possessions will be passed onto the next living relat…" John didn't get to finish his sentence before the young man blurted out a name.

"Hermione Granger! I- I'm currently dating Hermione Granger." The words were out of Draco's mouth before he could stop them. Granger had been the first muggleborn witch that had popped into his head. He watched as the lawyer's eyebrows rose.

"Miss Hermione Granger. War Hero? Current assistant to the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?" John asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, that Hermione Granger." Draco responded icily. His eyes pierced into John's head.

"You understand that I will need proof of your relationship from Miss Granger." John said hurriedly.

Draco's eyebrows rose. Fuck, he hadn't anticipated that. He'd thought his word alone would be enough. Evidently not.

"What kind of proof?" He asked steely.

"A meeting of some sort between the three of us where I can ascertain whether your relationship is true…or not."

"Fine." Draco snapped.

How hard would it be to get Granger to date him? The Malfoy name may have lost some of its shine in the past few years but his looks certainly hadn't. Witches still fawned over him against their protective mother's wishes. Every good girl wanted to tame the bad boy and Granger would be no different. She'd always loved a lost cause and their mutual hatred of each other from their Hogwarts years would surely make for a fiery relationship. It would be an interesting change.

He would date her, have this inane meeting, get his money and get rid of her.

Draco smiled at his little plan and settled back into his chair. Oh yes, life was set to get a whole lot better.

ooo

_21/06/2010, __19:45 Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco Malfoy was the last to step through the fireplace and enter the Malfoy drawing room. He had been cornered into making unimportant chit-chat with an ex housemate. To think that she thought he would be interested in how her life had been like since the war when it benefitted him in no apparent way, astounded him. He looked up to find his parents standing ten feet in front of him; eyebrows raised in question.

"Mother, father." He acknowledged as he took off his cloak and dropped it on the house-elf. He watched with distaste as it pottered around for a few seconds from the weight and the fact its eyes were now covered before waddling off.

The help in the Manor had disintegrated dramatically over the last few years ever since…Draco stopped his train off thought and gave a dry laugh…ever since Granger and the Ravenclaw had helped pass that ridiculous law stating house-elves had a right to ask for wages. Loyal house-elves at Malfoy Manor had heard one word of the new law before they'd buggered off in search of greener pastures. The whole idea was absurd. These sniveling creatures were put on this planet to do one job; serve their masters and now they had the right to demand payment! It was absolutely idiotic. The fact that it had been enforced and monitored had meant Droopy was the only elf left in their household and that was only because he was demanding fairly low fees due to his old age.

"I assume you have some sort of plan Draco and that you didn't just spout off the first name of a muggleborn witch that came into your head." Lucius Malfoy drawled in a similar way to his son.

Draco snapped out of his inner rant and raised his eyebrows. "Not a complete plan yet father but I am not worried."

"Oh, then you do have a plan Draco?" Narcissa asked; excitement making its way into her voice.

Draco shrugged noncommittally. Lucius's eyebrows rose upon seeing his son's mannerisms. "Now is not the time to shrug Draco. You gave that whimpering lawyer the name of the witch who has more than enough reasons to think lowly of you. Just how do you expect her to agree to this meeting let alone go along with the fact that you are in a…" Lucius shuddered for a moment, "…relationship with her."

"I have my ways father. I would have thought you would know better than to doubt my way with women." Draco replied.

"Miss Granger is not your common whore Draco. I would have thought you of all people would know that. She won't blindly follow you around like those other simpering witches you dain to spend time with, purely based on your looks. Dare I say it but she's a lady, and it is my belief that your experience with that group of females is limited."

Draco bristled at his father's words. "You doubt me father?"

Lucius smirked. "No, I merely have concerns that I am sharing with you. I advise that you reflect on them and take them into account. How you handle this situation affects us all."

"Just like how you handled the Voldemort situation affected us all?" Draco spat bitterly.

Anger flashed in Lucius's eyes as his mother emitted a shocked "Draco!"

"What's done is done. I cannot change what has already come about. If I could get a second chance I would do certain things differently." Lucius spoke softly.

Draco scoffed. "Would you? That would mean standing up to Voldemort instead of bowing down to him and obeying his every command."

Lucius looked hard into Draco's eyes for a moment before he spoke. "Remember this Draco, Malfoy's do whatever it takes, no matter how hard it is, to move onto the winning side and remain there. I may have misjudged the winning side in the past but I have learnt from my mistakes and will make more careful considerations in the future should such a situation arise again."

Draco stared back at his father and said nothing; his words swirling around in his head.

Lucius knew he had given his son enough to think about. It was time to leave him with his thoughts and plans.

"Come Cissa, let us retire for dinner. I'm sure Draco has a lot to think about." Lucius took Narcissa's hand and led her out of the room leaving Draco standing alone in the hollow, empty room.

* * *

_Author's Note: So_ _here as promised is the prologue of my new story. I hoped you liked. It won't be just a Draco/Hermione story, there are actually three relationships I'm writing about, just so you know that. Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

"_**The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious." Albert Einstein (1879- 1955)**_

_21/06/2010, 17:58, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

Harry had been distracted all day and it wasn't a distraction that he was sure he welcomed. He was tired, sweaty and all he wanted to do was head home for a shower and catch up on some much needed sleep. The latest three week undercover mission he'd just come back from had meant he was completely knackered. The scorching Egyptian sun had meant the days felt ten times longer than normal and he was so blisteringly hot during the night, he spent the whole time tossing and turning instead of actually sleeping. Now that he was back home, his initial plan of quickly briefing Kingsley on what he'd found out had been thrown out of the window.

Why? It was because Hilda, the old spinster witch who did the departments filing and odd jobs, had been replaced by a witch that most certainly did not remind him of Mrs Figg and her cats.

As his eyes lifted slightly from the mandatory debrief paperwork he was filling out, they landed on the witch in question. People were bustling around her, ignoring her as they pushed end of the day paperwork in her hands; quite rudely he realised. Had something happened in the last few weeks that made the men in the department immune to her silky black hair and piercing chocolate coloured eyes? _Chocolate coloured eyes!_ Merlin, he was turning into a pathetic sap. He hadn't thought this would have been possible, especially after Ginny but here he was; heart beating rapidly and eyes dilating as his apparently teenage mind flew through images of him, the mysterious new witch and his king sized bed.

"Auror Potter." came a deep voice. Harry immediately turned his gaze away from the witch and with a flushed face, he turned to face Kingsley or Auror Shacklebolt as he was known in the workplace. "Have you finished that paperwork yet?"

Harry shook his head in the negative. "I'll be done in a few minutes. I'll leave it on your desk."

Kingsley nodded his head before his eyes briefly flicked to the witch behind him. Looking back down at Harry, he once again nodded in understanding and he moved towards the lift. The nine seconds it took for the lift to reach the floor and open were the longest in Harry's life. He desperately wanted to turn around but for some reason felt embarrassed to do so whilst Kingsley was still in the vicinity. Once the lift doors had closed, Harry immediately turned back towards the witch on his mind and his eyebrows rose at the look on her face as she stared at him.

His first thought was that she looked even better from the front than from the side or behind (although to be honest and fair, her behind did have advantages). It was a few seconds before his mind registered that the look on her face was more than the startled look he expected. She looked…scared? Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in a little "O" shape.

Harry stood up from his chair and made a step to move in her direction, all ready to introduce himself. She took one step back before quickly turning around and virtually running away from him. Harry watched her disappear around the corner and froze. What in Merlin's beard? Quickly charming the debrief papers, he stuffed their miniature version in his pocket before running after her.

ooo

_21/06/2010, 18:02, 3 St James Wood, London_

Hermione and Padma apparated into the front room of Padma's house and the delicious smell of fresh basil and tomatoes tantalisingly teased their noses. Hermione's stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she'd skipped lunch and she had to force herself not to sniff at the air like a dog. It smelled so amazing!

"I'm home." Padma yelled out. No more than two seconds later, a small bundle came whipping out from behind the sofa and ran determinedly towards Padma.

Hermione saw a flash of blue and quickly took the folders from Padma's hand so she was free to lift Benji up and swing him around in the air, before bringing him close to her and giving him a big kiss on the cheek.

"Muuuum." Benji squirmed away from her, his little arms pushing at her shoulders.

"And how's my little man been today?" Padma asked as she placed him back down onto the floor. "You've been good for your Daddy I hope."

"I'm always good for Daddy." came the response.

Padma bent down so she was level to the four year old. "Hmm, good for Daddy but naughty for Mummy isn't that right?" she asked, her hand coming out to tickle his round stomach.

Benji let out a squeal before ear piercingly yelling for his Daddy to come and save him. Hearing the commotion, Blaise walked in from the kitchen, his eyes immediately landing on Padma. She stood up and they both walked towards each other, eyes locked before Blaise cupped her face and gave her a peck on the lips.

Hermione who'd been wistfully watching her friends, blushed and looked away. A peck on the lips for Blaise and Padma was practically a nice old snog for any normal couple. Once they managed to wrench their lips off each other, Hermione turned her head back in their direction to see them gazing at each other; eyes making promises of what the night would hold.

Whenever Hermione saw the two of them together she always felt a twinge of jealously and this time was no different. It wasn't because she was attracted to Blaise, although she had to admit he was scarily handsome with those high cheekbones and those wicked eyes, or that she thought Padma didn't deserve him. It's just that the two of them were completely and utterly in love with each other and she herself, longed for the day that she too would come home and have someone ravish her because he had missed her over the time that she'd been at work. Add to that a little child meant Hermione's biological clock started ticking away furiously every instance she spent time with the three of them.

"Aunty MG." said a voice around her legs.

Benji was looking up at her with innocent twinkling brown eyes. She and Padma were fairly close since they both worked at the same department so she was a common fixture in Benji's life. Unfortunately for her, since Padma called her Mione and Blaise used to call her Granger, Benji had seen fit to turn her name from an Aunty Hermione (which he couldn't say when he was younger) to Aunty MG. It had stuck, despite her various efforts to turn the M into a H so it somewhat resembled her name.

"Hello Benji." Hermione said, running her hand through his baby soft black hair.

"Hermione, how are you?" Blaise asked her. Hermione turned to look at him and a smile instantly appeared on her face. Whenever Blaise smiled at you, a smile seemed to form on your own face before you realised it.

"I'm good thanks Blaise. How are you?"

"All better now that this one's home." He replied, squeezing the arm around Padma's waist. "Are you hungry? I made Penne arrabiata. Eat first and then start working." He added to Padma who instantly nodded her head in agreement.

"It smells amazing." Hermione said as she followed the two of them into the kitchen.

"It's an old family recipe." Blaise said as he drained the penne in the sieve and Padma got the cutlery they'd need. She moved forward to help and in ten minutes Hermione was eating the best Penne arrabiata she'd ever had. It was even better than the Italian place she'd once been taken to on a date. Although to be fair to the establishment, she had been put off her food by the fact that her date (Zacharias Smith) had been completely arrogant and all she wanted to do was go home.

"Merlin, I'd be happy eating this again on Friday!" Hermione said.

Blaise and Padma were holding one of their frequent dinner parties on Friday night. Having Benji made it difficult for them to come out whenever the rest of their friends decided to get together and so the dinner parties were their way of keeping in touch and up to date with their friend's lives. It was also the time where everyone made extra effort to clear their schedules and attend. Blaise's food was famous and it was probably the only time where you could eat it for free, instead of paying for it at either of his two exclusive restaurants.

"So how's the project coming along?" Blaise asked.

"It's good, but slow." Padma replied as she handed Benji a napkin to keep his mouth clean with. "Compared to the house-elves this will take a lot more money and so far the Minsitry isn't keen seeing how it won't be an actual law that is being passed but more of a research trip."

"They're still recovering from the War. I'm not sure if they'll give us the finances we need to go all the way to Transylvania and stay there whilst we gather the data we need on the vampire population in that area. Plus there is the time off work. They'll need to get extra staff to cover us when we go. I'm not sure if it's going to go ahead." Hermione said.

"Oh Hermione, don't say that. We've worked too hard with all the research to fall down at the finance hurdle. We've still got a good few months until the peak migration time which gives us some time to get the money."

"I know. You know me though. Always planning for all possible scenarios." Hermione smiled.

"Don't I just! I've been working with you for years. You'd think I would have quashed that out of you by now." Padma said.

Hermione laughed. "Well you're welcome to keep trying."

"Cara, you know that I'd be happy to donate the money you need." Blaise said to Padma, taking her hand in the process.

Padma sighed and placed her spare hand on top of Blaise's. "And I've told you that I don't want you to. You do too much already; I don't want you to be giving your own money up for this."

Hermione watched the two of them and mentally played out the conversation. This wasn't the first time Blaise had offered to sponsor her and Padma's research missions but Padma always adamantly refused. This didn't stop Blaise repeating his offer every time they needed help.

During the war, his mother had moved to Italy and kept completely neutral; therefore when the seizing of money and properties of those suspected of helping Voldemort had started, she and in turn Blaise had been able to keep the large sum of money they'd accumulated over the years, mainly thanks to her various short marriages.

"Okay." Blaise finally gave in. He stood up and started stacking their empty plates so he could carry them into the kitchen. Padma gave him a dazzling smile and he shook his head in response.

Once Benji had been cleaned up and Padma had changed him out of his sauce stained clothes, they got down to work as Blaise supervised the cleaning charms.

ooo

_21/06/2010, 18:09, Ministry of Magic, Level 1, 117 Euston Road, London_

Harry had looked everywhere. The only explanation is that she'd already apparated home. He guessed he'd catch her tomorrow, although the way she'd looked at him made it seem like he knew or had met her already. His mind raced through possible parties he might have seen her at; maybe she'd once asked him for his autograph? Harry rejected this idea, she didn't act like a normal fan. Why did act like she was scared of him?

The questions raced through his mind during the entire night.

* * *

_Author's Note: Firstly I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter! The response I got was amazing! Secondly__ I've decided that anyone who guesses the identity of Harry's mystery woman correctly gets a PM with a sneak peak of Chapter 3. Until next time, Curiositykils_


	3. Chapter 3

"_**It's better to get something worthwhile done **__**using**__** deception, than to fail to get something worthwhile done **__**using**__** truth." Carlos Castaneda (1925- 1998)**_

_22/06/2010, 08:45, Ministry of Magic, Level 1, 117 Euston Road, London_

Draco stepped through the fireplace in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic and brushed the ash off his robes. He was fifteen minutes early for his appointment to meet the head of the Department of Business and Finance but he had it on good authority that Mr Lufkin particularly detested those who were late and so coming a few minutes early might put Draco in his good books.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the looks he was getting and he revelled at the attention. He knew that even though out loud they were sneering and looking down their noses at him, internally they were wondering what they'd have to do to be him or go out with him. He pushed his chest out slightly and walked towards the lifts. The crowd of people waiting there moved out of his way; no-one wanted to be in a confined space with an ex Death Eater. Draco (in a dignified manner) snorted quietly at the way they were acting and even though he told himself that the way they were behaving held no matter to him, he knew he was lying.

The doors pinged in front of him and as they opened he walked in and turned back around to face the doors. The others who had been waiting, looked away or pretended to be in conversation with those around them making it seem as if they weren't waiting for the lift. Draco smiled in deprecation before pressing the button for Level 3.

As he waited for the doors to close, his gaze swept over the Atrium and they doubled back when they passed over a familiar face. Blaise Zabini had just apparated into the designated area at the side of the Atrium. It wasn't the fact that Draco was seeing the face of his once school friend that surprised him and caused his eyebrows to rise by a millimetre; it was the woman who had apparated in after him and with whom he was now happily holding conversation with. One curly haired Hermione Granger.

Of course. How he had not thought of this sooner was beyond him. It was perfect. He knew Granger and the Ravenclaw worked together and he vaguely remembered that Blaise had decided to play house with her a few years ago. By the way his arm was wrapped possessively around the Ravenclaw's waist, he assumed they were still together. This surely meant he had a fairly good relationship with Granger. He hadn't talked to Blaise in many years. As the doors to the lift closed, Draco thought it might be time to arrange a little reunion.

ooo

_22/06/2010, 08:48, Ministry of Magic, Level 1, 117 Euston Road, London_

"So I'll meet you here at twelve-thirty?" Blaise asked Padma as Hermione walked away leaving them to say goodbye.

"Twelve-thirty?" Padma said, her forehead creasing slightly at his words.

Blaise chuckled at her expression and kissed the crinkle between her eyebrows lightly. Beneath his lips it smoothed away. "I'm taking you out for lunch. Don't you think I realise you've been skipping lunch lately?" He said before dropping his voice into a whisper. "I've worshipped your body every night for years. I've memorised every single lovely curve. Don't you think I'd notice a change in it?"

Padma felt the heat flush her cheeks at his words and looked around to make sure no-one else had heard him. Blaise chuckled slightly, it always amused him that even though she had tan skin you could still see the red staining her cheeks.

"Non preoccuparti amore mio. No one heard me." Blaise said, his breath tickling Padma's ear. "So, I'll see you at twelve-thirty?"

Padma tried to voice her agreement but her throat was so dry she could only simply nod her head mutely. Blaise smiled, kissed her lips and apparated away.

ooo

_22/06/2010, 12:27, Ministry of Magic, Level 1, 117 Euston Road, London_

Blaise apparated into the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. It was just as, if not even more so, busy than this morning. All kinds of people and creatures bustled around, trying to get on with their business. He quickly moved out of the Apparation spot so it was ready for someone else to use and looked around to see if he could spot Padma in the throng. Checking his watch, he saw she still had a few minutes and made his way to one of the marble benches at the side of the room.

As he approached the only bench with spare room on it, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. People all around were looking for a place to sit and yet this bench was completely free. As he moved closer to it, his eyes fell on a lone witch sitting there on one side. Her head was positioned in such a way that her hair was partially hiding her face and Blaise couldn't make it out. He came to a stop a few feet away from her.

"Excuse me. Is this seat free?" he asked indicating towards the rest of the bench. The witch's head flew upwards in surprise and Blaise stepped backwards in shock. She kind of looked like, "Pansy?" he said disbelievingly.

ooo

Pansy Parkinson looked up into the face of her once Slytherin housemate and gave him a dry smile as she saw the astonishment across his face.

"Hello Blaise." She said, before waiting to see what his response would be. It was just that morning that she had been wondering when it would be that she would see a face from the past. She was half surprised that it had taken her two weeks but then again, with the whole wizarding world ignoring her should she have been surprised?

"What are you doing here?" Blaise said. Pansy raised a carefully plucked eyebrow at his question and was about to answer defensively when he quickly backtracked.

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me. I'm just surprised to see you is all. I thought you and your mother were still in France?"

"I moved back to London two weeks ago." Pansy informed him.

"What are you doing at the Ministry?" Blaise asked.

Pansy looked down at the half eaten sandwich on her lap. "I'm eating lunch." She answered obviously.

Blaise grinned slightly in a way that revealed his charming smile. It wasn't until that moment that Pansy realised that she had missed him.

ooo

Blaise moved to sit down next to her and he saw her turn slightly so she was facing him.

"Do you often come to eat lunch at the Ministry?"

Pansy smiled at his question. "I work here. Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Auror Office."

Blaise's eyebrows lifted. She worked in the same department as Harry? That was surprising. He had very little knowledge of what had occurred during the Final Battle of Hogwarts but it had been a well publicised fact that Pansy Parkinson had offered to trade Harry Potter for the school's (and he probably believed that it was more for her own) safety. When the war had been won and the Death Eaters rounded up, Pansy though not being a Death Eater herself, had been put in the same bandwagon. It had meant she had practically been forced out of the country to get away from the ridicule and slander being thrown at her from every direction.

"The same department as Harry?" he asked softly.

Pansy eyed Blaise with question. "You call him Harry?"

"Yes, we've become friends." Blaise replied. "Padma knows him fairly well and so I see him from time to time."

"Padma Patil?" she asked.

Blaise smiled and nodded in response. He had forgotten that Padma had known Pansy before they'd all started Hogwarts. Both being daughters from Pureblood families meant they had spent many an occasion in each other's company when they were younger. He knew Padma had been confused at the change in Pansy when they'd started Hogwarts but at the time, she and him had never even spoken to each other and he wasn't about to tell a non Slytherin on why people changed when they entered his house.

After the war and Pansy's departure, he didn't feel like there was any point in informing Padma of anything. Her and Pansy's once friendship, if you could call it that, was firmly in the past. When he and Padma had started dating, Pansy was a distant memory. Only she wasn't so distant anymore and as Blaise looked around the Atrium and saw people staring at her with hate in their eyes, he felt slightly ashamed that he hadn't done more for her.

"Yes, I forgot you knew each other."

"We don't." Pansy replied, her voice hardening slightly. "It was a long time ago." she added quietly, her eyes looking away from his and falling back down on her sandwich.

Blaise registered the move. It was a common Slytherin trait. Look away so as not to show any weakness.

"Padma and I are having a small dinner party at our home on Friday. You should come, it'd be nice to have you there." Blaise invited.

Pansy looked up at him in shock before quickly shaking her head. "Oh no, I can't. I-I think I have other plans."

Blaise was interrupted in his reply by Padma calling his name as she made her way to him.

ooo

Padma spotted Blaise and moved towards him. Once she was within hearing distance she called out his name before coming to a halt as she saw who he was talking to. She looked into Pansy's eyes, shocked.

"Parkinson?" she said.

She watched as something in Pansy's eyes fell at being addressed by her surname before she turned back to glance at Blaise. Padma too, turned to look at Blaise.

Blaise stood from his position and moved towards her. Padma felt his warm mouth peck her lips lightly before his arm moved to its usual position around her waist. There was a moment of silence as the three regarded each other.

"Look who I bumped into." Blaise said jovially and Padma snapped out of her daze. She offered Pansy a small smile and was surprised when it was returned.

Padma couldn't believe how different Pansy looked. Yes she looked older but it had been so long since she'd seen her without that customary sneer she'd picked up in Hogwarts, she'd momentarily forgotten just how pretty her features looked when she smiled.

"I just invited her to come on Friday." Blaise said to her.

Padma turned from Pansy to look at Blaise in alarm. He'd invited her? She didn't think that would be the best idea.

ooo

Pansy saw the look of alarm cross over Padma's face and knew that if she could have, she would have reneged the invitation. Pansy pushed the feeling of sadness that washed over her away. She knew that this was the way they would have acted. After all, it had been her who had treated them like Hippogriff dung throughout their time at Hogwarts.

"Unfortunately I don't think I can make it. I have other plans."

She saw the two of them look at her, one in surprise and the other in suspicion.

"What other plans?" Blaise asked.

"I'm actually going to be working late that day. There's a mission that Auror Shacklebolt wants to start preparation for." Pansy knew she'd been rumbled when the lie came out of her mouth.

"Really? That's strange. Harry is going to attend. He hasn't mentioned anything about working late that day. Maybe you have your days mixed up?" Blaise said.

Pansy looked helplessly at him before her gaze flicked to Padma, her mouth once again opening and ready to form some other lie to get them and her off the hook.

"I-" she started to say but she was cut off by Padma.

"No, Blaise is right. It would be good if you could come. I'll owl you with our address and the other details. It's all very informal so you don't need to go shopping or anything."

Pansy snapped her mouth shut in surprise. Immediately gratitude filled her. Maybe, just maybe she had a chance to get her old friends back. She quickly smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"Great." Blaise said. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have a lunch date. We'll see you on Friday night."

"Goodbye." Pansy said softly as she watched them walk away. She took in a deep breath and her chest felt lighter than it had in a long time. She smiled and resumed eating her cheese sandwich.

ooo

_22/06/2010 18:32 Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco Malfoy watched as his black eagle Archimedes flew out of his library window and started its journey. If what he remembered of Blaise's house was still true, it meant he could expect a reply within the hour.

Draco moved back down to sit at his desk and picked up the business contracts he had organised at the Minsitry this morning. He was just about to read them once more before signing when a knock on the door pulled his attention away.

"Come in." he said and the door opened to reveal his father.

"Did you send the letter Draco?" Lucius asked his son.

Draco nodded. "Yes father, Archimedes just left."

"And you expect Zabini to accept your invitation?"

"He has no reason not to. It's only a few drinks with an old friend. There is no reason he should suspect anything."

"He isn't Goyle, Draco. This is the first time you have contacted him for drinks in years. Of course he will doubt you; he was a Slytherin after all." Lucius said.

Draco scoffed. "Zabini may have been put in the Slytherin house but he was always a tad soft. Even if he does suspect me, he'll still agree to the meeting before making up his mind on my intentions."

"You will have to make sure that you do not slip up at the meeting."

Draco narrowed his eyes at his father. Lucius had started annoying him more than usual recently. The first thing he planned to do with the profits from his business was move out.

"It's _my_ money on the line father." Draco said, "I assure you that I won't slip up. If that will be all, I have some business papers to look over."

ooo

Lucius stiffened at his son's words, a sneer forming at his lips. He wanted to remind the boy just who exactly he was talking to. A crucio or two would put him right back into line but Lucius knew he had to restrain himself. He needed the money. He needed his son.

Lucius closed the door to Draco's private library and walked away, ruing the day he decided to have children.

ooo

_22/06/2010_ _18:53, 3 St James Wood, London_

Blaise watched affectionately as Padma and Benji laughed and giggled from where they were sat on the living room floor, painting and having fun. He wanted to join them but the restaurant books needed to be done and he forced his eyes back to them.

As much as he tried to concentrate, his mind just wasn't on it; the words and numbers were spinning on the page before his very eyes.

"Daddy, look at the big owl!" Benji squealed.

Both Blaise and Padma turned to look at where his hand was pointing and Blaise heard Padma gasp at the size of the bird. He however narrowed his eyes.

"Whose bird is that? Is that even an owl?" Padma asked.

"It's an African Black Eagle." Blaise answered. Padma's brow furrowed as to how he would know this. "It's Draco's bird." He added in explanation.

Padma's forehead smoothed out but her eyes grew wide. "Draco Malfoy? I didn't realise you were still in contact with him?"

"I'm not." Blaise answered as he let the eagle in and moved to take the letter from its talons. He heard Padma stand up and make her way to him.

Blaise looked at the letter in his hands cautiously. He and Malfoy had never been friends per se in Hogwarts; more like close acquaintances. However it was only after he moved to Italy, came back and met Padma that he realised what having real friends was actually like. Even though Draco and he had not had any contact in the years since the war, Blaise had a feeling that Draco regarded him as a friend even though the feeling was not reciprocated.

"Aren't you going to open it and see what he wants?" Padma asked softly.

Blaise nodded and tore through the Malfoy wax seal and took out the letter. He scanned its contents briefly whilst Padma watched his eyebrows climb with each passing second. Finally the suspense got too much for her.

"Well?" she asked.

Blaise turned towards her and passed her the letter silently. Padma took it from his hands and read through it.

"Drinks?" she asked confused. "He wants to meet you for drinks? Why?"

"Exactly, why? After so many years I find it strange that he wants to suddenly meet out of the blue."

There was a period of silence as the two remembered when they had last seen Draco Malfoy.

"Are you going to go?" Padma asked him quietly.

Blaise grabbed his wand and scourgified her hands before wrapping her in his arms. "What do you think?" he asked as he ran his hands through her thick hair.

Padma thought for a while before answering. "You decided to give Pansy a second chance today. Maybe you should do the same for Malfoy. Agree to meet up with him and see what he wants. See whether he's changed."

She felt Blaise's sigh rather than hearing it. "Draco is a lot different to Pansy and we both know it. There's a reason Pansy acted the way she did at Hogwarts. Draco was a bastard because he's always been a bastard."

"He was your friend wasn't he?"

Blaise shook his head. "I don't think you could consider us friends, at least not in the way I consider Dean or even Harry to be my friend. He was more of an acquaintance and even then it was only when he wanted something."

"If he's writing to you it means he's reaching out. He might have changed. The only way you'll know is by meeting with him." Padma reasoned.

Blaise chuckled. "My clever Ravenclaw. I suppose I should meet with him."

"Good." Padma smiled as she pulled back slightly. "Now to more important things; we need your handprint on our family handprint picture, don't we Benji?"

Benji nodded eagerly and pointed to the white page at his feet. Blaise looked at the picture and smiled. There were three boxes there. In two of the boxes were Benji and Padma's handprints and there was an empty box with Daddy painted underneath.

Blaise quickly moved to the table and replied to Draco's letter with a simple date and time, before handing his reply to the eagle. His eyes fell on the work he needed to do but he simply closed the books and put them away before moving to join Benji and Padma on the floor.

ooo

_22/06/2010 19:25 Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco opened Blaise's reply and his eyes fell on the few words written on the page. It wasn't much but it was all Draco needed to set his plan into motion.

* * *

_Author's Note: Until next time, Curiositykils_


	4. Chapter 4

"_**Men conceal the past scenes of their lives." **__**Titus Lucretius Carus (99BC – 55BC)**_

_23/06/2010 20:01 Xia's Bar, Diagon Alley _

Draco walked into the bar and looked around, spotting Zabini sitting at a table in the far corner of the room. He walked towards him, ignoring the looks he was getting from those he passed, whether they were fearful or flirtatious. He was here for a job and his concentration needed to be focused on the task at hand, otherwise he was completely fucked.

He saw Blaise spot him as he emerged from the crowd and watched as he stood up to greet him.

"Draco. It's been a long time." Blaise said, his hand extended for a handshake.

Draco quickly pulled his hands out of his pockets and took Blaise's hand. "Blaise. Yes it has. It's nice to see you again."

They both sat down and Blaise signalled for the waiter to bring them some firewhiskey.

"I have to say I was quite surprised when I received your letter. If you don't mind me asking, why the sudden urge to meet up for drinks?" Blaise asked.

Draco looked at Blaise carefully. Even though his voice was care-free and light, his eyes held slight suspicion. Put your poker face on Draco thought.

"It's been a long time and I missed our companionship." Draco said. He knew Blaise didn't believe him before the words had fully left his mouth.

"We were never companions Draco. At best we were casual acquaintances."

Draco's lips formed a small smile and his eyes acknowledged Blaise's small victory. It was no matter; it just meant he had to step up a little more.

"It may have taken me years but I've finally come to accept the fact that how I acted at Hogwarts was wrong. I was a selfish, spoilt boy who used people to get what he wanted. Everything that I've gone through since the war ended; well let's just say that I've grown up. A lot. Unfortunately in the time it's taken me, I've realised everyone who I considered my friend, or an acquaintance as you put it, has long since left. Inviting you for drinks is my way of repairing our broken relationship." Draco forced himself to keep his face relaxed and sad looking. He couldn't believe the Hippogriff shit he'd just spewed out. He only hoped Zabini believed him.

"Having drinks with someone over one evening doesn't miraculously make them your friend Draco." Blaise said.

Draco looked up from the table and into Blaise's eyes. For fuck's sake.

"I know, but it's a start isn't it?" Draco said in his sappiest voice. He watched as Blaise stared, scrutinising his face for deception.

"I met Pansy today."

Draco startled, both at his words and the change in the direction of the conversation. He decided to play along.

"Parkinson?" He asked and Blaise nodded.

"She's got a job at the Ministry now."

Draco let the words sink into him. He was surprised. From what he remembered of Pansy she was as much of a coward as he was. Coming back into the country and getting a job in the Ministry was something a Gryffindor would do, not a Slytherin.

ooo

"I invited her to a small dinner party Padma and I are having tomorrow night. If you're serious about changing and getting some real friends you should come." Blaise said slowly.

Merlin only knew what Padma would do when he told her that he'd invited Draco but he needed to know for sure if he had really changed or if it was all talk. Putting him in a room with people who he'd hated and forcing him to socialise with them would show Blaise if the words coming out of Draco's mouth were lies or not.

ooo

Draco wasn't stupid. His first response was to tell Blaise to fuck off but he'd recognised the challenge in his tone and in his dark eyes. He forced the insults he would have otherwise said down his throat.

"Sounds good." He replied, taking a sip of firewhiskey to strengthen his resolve. "Who else will be attending?" he asked.

"The usual crowd. Padma's sister Parvati and her husband Dean Thomas. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Pansy as I mentioned, Theo Nott and a few others. We tend to keep it small. Oh how could I forget, Hermione Granger will be there too."

Draco's eyes widened as Blaise said Granger's name. Well, this was just too perfect. He'd hit the cauldron of money full on. He looked at Blaise, ready to reinforce his willingness to attend when he caught sight of a suspicious look in his eyes. Fuck, he hadn't masked his face upon hearing Granger would be attending. He immediately took another sip of firewhiskey so his face would be partially hidden by the glass.

"Well, I'll be there." He said and waited in silence for Blaise to respond.

ooo

Questions raced through Blaise's mind as he wondered why Draco's eyes had widened so much and a bizarre smile had formed on his face when he had said Hermione's name. His mind initially jumped to the conclusion that Draco would be planning on doing something mean to Hermione at the party but the smile didn't quite fit.

Hearing Draco once again say that he would be coming to the party, Blaise simply nodded his head, his eyes still regarding his ex-housemate.

There was silence for 20 seconds in which Draco quickly drained the rest of his firewhiskey.

"I'm sorry that I have to cut this meeting so short but I have some business to sort before tomorrow. I will see you tomorrow night." Draco said as he stood from the table. Blaise stood to leave too and they both fished through their pockets and dumped a few Galleons on the table for their drinks.

"I'll owl you with our address and the other details." Blaise said to Draco.

Draco nodded and the two shook hands once more before apparating away.

ooo

_23/06/2010 20:17 Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco landed in the Manor's living room expecting it to be empty.

"How did it go Draco?" his mother asked him eagerly.

Draco turned quickly to find her sitting in a large chair by the fire, reading a book.

"It went well mother. I've been invited to a party at Blaise's house tomorrow. I believe Granger will also be there." He said and watched as a smile lit up his mother's face.

He nodded to her before leaving the room and making his way to his study.

ooo

_23/06/2010 19:28 The Burrow, Devon_

Harry apparated into the kitchen of the Burrow and was immediately suffocated into a hug by Mrs Weasley.

"Mum, he can't even breathe for Merlin's sake." He heard Ron's voice from somewhere behind him.

"Oh hush Ron." Mrs Weasley said as she finally loosened her arms, allowing Harry to take a step back and breathe. "I haven't seen Harry in nearly a month. How was the mission dear?" She asked him.

"It was good thanks Molly. We got what we wanted." His words where cut short as Ron gave him a large thump on the back in welcome. Ever since Ron had become keeper for the Chudley Cannons, he had formed muscles whose strength Harry was sure he wasn't fully aware of yet.

"Well you certainly got a tan. Merlin you look like Charlie. Did you spend your time catching wizards or tanning yourself in the desert?" Ron quipped.

Harry laughed and punched him playfully. Yes it was true that his skin had browned quite considerably over the last three weeks. Personally he didn't like it, but a fan on the street had informed him that it made him look even more dashing. He hadn't known what to say in response.

"Harry you're back!" came Arthur's voice and Harry quickly moved to shake hands with him. "So how was old Egypt? I suppose it hasn't changed all that much since we were there?" he asked.

"Oh of course. I'd forgotten that you all had visited." Harry said.

"Oh yeah, bloody hottest place I've ever gone too." Ron said.

"Ronald Weasley, mind your language." Molly shouted and Ron rolled his eyes in response.

Harry watched them and smiled as the familiar feeling of belonging washed over him. In the last three weeks he had desperately missed them all. As Molly moved to take the huge chicken out of the oven. he realised he had also desperately missed her cooking.

"Smells great Mum." Ron said as he sat himself down at the table and reached for a bread roll.

Molly whacked at his hand with her wand. "Ronald Weasley, we eat dinner together in this family. You are well aware of that, so hands off until the rest of your brothers and Hermione get here."

"But it'll go cold." Ron whined as he longingly looked at the food in front of him.

"You act like I don't know a simple heating charm. Honestly, your stomach astounds me sometimes."

Hermione walked into the kitchen, apparently having flooed in through the front room's fireplace. "Ron's stomach astounds everyone." She said and Ron glared at her playfully causing her to laugh.

As she moved to give everyone a kiss hello, two more pops of apparition where heard.

"Oh sounds like Bill, Fleur and Victoire are here." Molly said and surely enough, they walked into the kitchen saying their hellos. Harry watched as Molly rushed to hug her grand-child and he winked at Victoire as her eyes locked onto his from behind Molly's round body.

George apparated in two seconds later and saw his Mum squeezing the life out of his niece. "Hey Mum, save some hugging for me. I am your son after all."

Molly heard him speak and moved towards him. George opened his arms for a hug but instead, Molly reached up and pulled painfully on his ear, causing the rest of the room to burst out laughing. "George Weasley. Did you think I wouldn't hear about those sweets you've been testing on those poor children? How many times do I have to tell you not to use Hogwarts schoolchildren as test subjects for your dangerous contraptions?" she admonished him.

"Ow Mum. It's not dangerous and they were fully aware of the risks when they signed up. It's not as if the damage was permanent. Madam Pomfrey sorted them out with a quick swish of her wand."

"They're children. You promised them three months free supply of chocolate. Of course they were going to sign up!"

"It was just business Mom." George whined.

"Molly, since everyone's here I think it would be best if we sat down for dinner, don't you think?" Arthur interjected in a calm voice.

Molly looked at her husband and nodded her head in agreement, letting go of George's now red ear. Everyone else had barely even taken their seats by which time Ron already had a plate full of food.

Harry was sat opposite George and couldn't resist teasing him. "Nice set of ears you have there." He said. Hermione and Victoire who were sitting either side of him laughed although Hermione did try to stifle hers.

"You can say what you want about my ears but at least I don't have a freaky looking skin colour."

Hermione now laughed outright and Harry turned to look at her accusingly. "You said it looked fine and that you agreed with the article in Witch Weekly saying it made me look more handsome."

"I do." Hermione replied, "but it's still funny."

"At least you tanned. When we went there on holiday, Ginny was out in the sun for two minutes before she got burnt." Bill added.

At the mention of Ginny's name there was a lull in the conversation and everyone turned to look or glance at Harry. Harry's cheeks burned slightly and he was glad they probably wouldn't be able to see it through his newly tanned skin. He hated the fact that even after so many years, hearing her name still had such an impact on him.

"Actually, since we're on the topic of Ginny, I received an owl from her today. She's coming home!" Molly announced.

There was an unusual silence as everyone once again turned to face Harry. Underneath the table he felt Hermione's hand squeeze his lightly in support and he turned to give her a little smile.

ooo

"Isn't that great?" Molly asked.

She knew Fred's death and the war had impacted Ginny worse than any other member of her family but she hadn't been too happy when she had simply upped and left to go and live in Romania with Charlie. She and Harry had finally been getting their relationship back on track when she'd moved. She had hoped they still kept in touch, but as the years passed and Ginny didn't return home she'd lost all hope.

All that had changed today when she'd received the letter from her only daughter. She was finally coming home! Molly was going to make sure that this time, she planned it so Harry became a permanent member of her family.

ooo

_23/06/2010 20:47 The Burrow's Garden, Devon_

Hermione finished putting the clean dishes away and as Harry completed his task of dividing up the left over food into take-away parcels for all of them, she saw her chance and quickly pulled him out into the garden.

The sun was setting and there was a strong relaxing smell of lavender in the warm air.

"What's up?" Harry asked her.

"What's up?" Hermione replied in question to the Muggle phrase.

Harry shrugged. "I picked it up in Egypt."

Hermione nodded her head. "So how do you feel?" she asked.

Harry turned his head and looked away from her; choosing to instead focus on a large oak tree in the distance. "How do I feel on what?"

He heard Hermione sigh and he sighed in return.

"You know what Harry." Hermione said.

"I don't know. Weird. It's been a long time." Harry sighed.

"Are you happy? Do you want to see her?" Hermione asked tentatively.

Harry turned back to face her. "I don't know Mione. This week was the first time I felt like I was finally moving on and now this."

Hermione's brow scrunched up. "Moving on?"

Harry smiled as he remembered the witch he'd seen at work. "I was attracted to someone-else for the first time in a long time."

Hermione smiled widely. "Really? Do tell." She said teasingly.

Harry laughed. "There's nothing to tell. She's someone new in the department."

"Another Auror?"

"No, a paper pusher. I don't know her name or anything. I think…I think she's avoiding me."

"Avoiding you?" Hermione asked. That was a first. Usually witches were falling over their own feet at the chance to date the Harry Potter. She hadn't met this witch and she already liked her.

"I don't know. I saw her after coming back from Egypt but haven't since."

"That's strange." Hermione said.

"Yeah, you're telling me." Harry replied.

They heard Molly shout out telling them to come in for desert and they both started walking back to the house.

"You know that Molly's probably already planned your and Ginny's wedding right?" Hermione said quietly.

"Yeah I know and if you had said that last week I would have been happy about it, but now…I don't know."

Hermione patted his arm. "Well, I'm here if you want to talk."

Harry smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, bringing her into his body. "I know."

ooo

_23/06/2010_ _20:17, 3 St James Wood, London_

Padma was re-reading the letter she had just received. Merlin, she couldn't believe what was written in it. She didn't hear Blaise walk into the room until he had wrapped his arms around her from behind and started nuzzling her neck with his head. She quickly closed the letter and scrunched it up in her hand.

"Mmm, what's that?" he asked.

Padma's heart leapt into her throat. "Oh nothing. Just a letter from Parvati asking what I'm going to wear tomorrow." She said lightly. "How was it with Malfoy?" she asked trying to move the conversation somewhere else.

"It was okay. I invited him to come tomorrow." Blaise said and he started kissing her ear lightly.

"You invited him? Did you tell him who else was coming?" she asked.

"That's what surprised me. When I told him Hermione was also coming, his eyes lit up and he smiled." Blaise replied.

He took the scrunched up letter from her hand and Padma froze slightly. She relaxed when he put it down on the table so her hands were free. "Maybe he fancies her?" she laughed nervously.

Blaise laughed. "Maybe." He said, before capturing her lips in a kiss before she could say anything else.

ooo

_23/06/2010_ _23:43, 3 St James Wood, London_

Padma felt Blaise's breathing even out and knew he was asleep. She extracted herself from his arms before quickly moving to where he'd moved the letter. She picked it up, uncrumpled it and re-read it. Merlin, why now? Why couldn't this have happened when she needed it to have?

Blaise moved onto his side and Padma froze slightly but thankfully he didn't wake. She quickly folded the letter, shrunk it and put it in the pocket of her robes before sliding back into bed. Blaise's arm moved around her waist, moving upwards until it was resting underneath her breasts. She hoped he couldn't feel the quick beating of her heart through her chest.

* * *

_Author's Note: So the next chapter is Part 1 of 2 revolving around the Dinner Party! Also I have a new story out called Price He Demands. I've already put up two chapters and the next and last one will be uploaded soon so make sure to check it out, especially if you're a fan of bad boy Draco! Thank you so much for reading and hopefully reviewing. Until next time, Curiositykils! _


	5. Chapter 5

"_**The best example of democracy I can recall is five wolves sitting down to **__**dinner**__** with one sheep." Anonymous**_

_24/06/2010 10:06 Minsitry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione and Padma were sitting at their respective desks; one vaguely staring at the paperwork in front of her whilst the other gazed at that one worryingly.

Padma had barely been able to sleep all night. Even though it was dark, she could make out the outline of her robes hanging on the cupboard door and her gaze seemed to be fixated on the pocket where she'd put the letter. Questions and thoughts had run constantly through her mind and before she knew it, it was time to get up and she hadn't slept a wink.

Hermione stared at her work colleague and friend. You could make out the faint circles beneath her eyes. Hermione's first thought was that something had happened to Benji but surely Padma would have mentioned something to her. Her second thought was that something had happened between her and Blaise but she dismissed this idea as she thought back to the way they'd acted around each other this morning when Blaise had dropped Padma off. Maybe it was just normal tiredness from planning tonight's party?

"Padma, are you okay?" Hermione asked.

Padma snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head to face Hermione. "Sorry?"

Hermione smiled. "Are you okay? Sorry, but you look a little off."

Padma stiffened for a second which didn't go unnoticed by Hermione before she laughed it off. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just this dinner party tonight."

"Oh?"

"Yes, you'll never believe who Blaise invited."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. She'd already heard from Padma that Blaise had invited Pansy but from what Padma had told her, the Pansy she and Blaise both knew from before Hogwarts was a lot different to the one Hermione herself had encountered during their school years. Hermione was willing to keep an open mind as much as she could for tonight, however this was still the girl who'd offered to give Harry to Voldemort after all.

"Someone worse than Pansy?" Hermione asked.

Padma gave a wry smile. "Draco Malfoy."

Hermione froze at Padma's words unbelievingly. "No way." came her ineloquent reply.

Padma giggled slightly at the words and Hermione inwardly smiled. At least she had managed to cheer Padma up. "Yes way. Malfoy owled Blaise asking if they could meet for drinks yesterday night and Blaise invited him. He wants to see whether he's really changed or not."

"Wow, so he's flinging Malfoy into the lion's den. I hope he's prepared." said Hermione.

"So do I. Between him and Pansy I don't think tonight is going to go too smoothly." Padma replied and Hermione nodded in agreement. Merlin, no wonder Padma looked like she did. If Hermione was in her place, she too would have been up all night worrying.

ooo

_24/06/2010_ _18:47, 3 St James Wood, London_

Padma was in the bedroom struggling with the zip on her dress when Blaise walked in from the bathroom. She was momentarily distracted by his partially naked body and snapped out of her spell when Blaise spoke. "You know I could just not wear a shirt and you could just stare at my body all night long."

Padma blushed slightly at his words before shaking her head at his teasing. She turned around so Blaise could see the zip on the rear of her dress. Through the mirror, she watched him stare at her naked back and smiled at the effect she had on him in return.

"You know I could just not wear a dress and you could stare at my body all night long." She said mimicking his words.

Blaise smiled and narrowed his eyes at her. "But then mio amore I'd have to Avada every man in the vicinity because they wouldn't be able to keep their eyes off you either. I would then go to Azkaban for life and I wouldn't be able to see your lovely body for a long time. You too, wouldn't be able to look at my body for a long time, so it's in your best interests to wear a dress tonight."

Padma laughed at his logic and turned back around. "Can you help zip me up? I think it's stuck."

She watched Blaise in the mirror as he stalked towards her before coming to a stop behind her. She breathed in deeply and smelt his soapy scent. She moved her long hair out of the way so he could get a better look.

ooo

Blaise stared at Padma's back and instead of fiddling with the zip, his hands lightly trailed the arch of her spine. He watched in satisfaction as she arched her body away from his touch; goosebumps forming on the smooth skin.

"Blaise." He heard Padma say. He knew she meant it to come out warningly but with the way her voice deepened, it was much huskier than intended.

"Yes cara." He said in an innocent whisper.

"We don't have time for this." She moaned as his hands came around to cup and knead her breasts gently.

Blaise smiled as she moved backwards slightly so her body leaned against his. "We have twelve minutes. If we skip all the foreplay, post coital cuddling and we skimp a little during then there should be enough time."

"Benji-" she started to say.

"Benji is in his room playing with his mini-Quidditch set. The door's locked." Blaise replied and he started peppering small kisses on the back of her neck, causing her head to fall forward.

"We, you- the food." She said incoherently and Blaise's lips stretched into a small smile against her skin.

"If you're still talking it doesn't seem like I'm doing my job all too well." He said before pinching her nipples slightly. He revelled in the moan that escaped her mouth and turned her around so he could kiss her deeply like he wanted.

"Blaise..." she moaned again. His hands trailed down the sides of her dress until he reached the hem and he quickly bunched the dress up to her waist before cupping her buttocks and lifting her slightly. He ground his erection against her hips and the two gasped loudly at the friction.

His head fell forward. "Oh Merlin." He whispered huskily against her shoulder.

ooo

Padma could feel the wetness between her thighs, her heart thumping wildly in her chest and the blood rushing in her ears. She stood on her tip-toes so she could feel Blaise where she ached the most.

"Mommy, Daddy. Why is the door locked?" Benji's voice came through the door as the handle rattled.

Blaise and Padma jumped apart as if Benji was in the room with them before they both caught each others eyes and started laughing slightly.

"I'll be out in a minute Benji." Padma said.

"A minute. Now that definitely isn't enough." Blaise said as he moved to wrap her in his arms again.

Padma backed away from him. "No it isn't, which is why we aren't going to be doing anything other than getting ready." She caught the puppy dog eye look on Blaise's face and laughed. "Don't look at me like that. Would you prefer a rush job now or a slow, long, earth-shattering one later on?"

"I'd prefer to have both." Blaise replied and Padma laughed.

"There isn't time. They'll be arriving any minute now." She smiled.

"Mummy, Daddy? Uncle Dean's here. Can me and Alia go play outside? Aunty Vati said no."

Padma smiled. She could practically see the little pout on Benji's face at being denied something.

"It's Alia and I Benji and Aunty Vati's right. If you go and play outside you'll get your robes dirty and Alia will get her dress dirty."

"Daddy?"

"Yes Benji."

"Can Alia and I go play outside? Aunty Vati and Mummy said no."

Blaise laughed and shook his head at Benji's words. "If Mummy said no then what do you think my answer's going to be?"

"Yes?" came the hopeful voice behind the door.

"No Benji. You wanted grown-up robes tonight remember? Grown up robes aren't muddy or dirty from playing outside."

"Okay." Came the voice dejectedly. "Mummy?"

"Yes Benji." Padma sighed.

"I tasted the cake you got from the shop."

"What?" Padma yelped and made to open the door before she realised the state of her attire.

"I tasted the cake you got from the shop." Benji repeated in a louder voice.

"How did you taste the cake Benji? You know you aren't supposed to touch it before dessert time."

"I only stuck a little of my finger in it. I didn't like it very much. It was a bit yucky."

Blaise let out a bark of laughter at Benji's words. He had told Padma that he was happy making the dessert at home but she hadn't wanted him to be overly burdened so she'd insisted on ordering the cake instead.

Padma sighed at her family. "It's okay Benji, just down go sticking your finger in it anymore. It'll still be yucky the next time you try it." Benji had a habit of always re-trying food he hated, just in case he somehow managed to like it this time around. If she wasn't careful, the cake would end up with hundreds of little holes from his poking.

"Will you please zip me up?" Padma said. Blaise laughed before moving back to her and grabbing the zip.

"Up Blaise. Not down!" she said. Well you couldn't fault a man for trying.

ooo

_24/06/2010_ _19:20, 3 St James Wood, London_

Pansy was stood outside Blaise and Padma's house and she wasn't just nervous; she was down right terrified. What had possessed her to agree to come? Merlin, she knew how it was going to end. Someone, everyone, was going to have a problem with her being there. Maybe it wasn't too late to apparate away. She'd much prefer to spend a quiet night on the sofa in her dingy run down apartment than be here. Yes that is what she would do.

"Pansy! I'm glad you could make it." Blaise's voice said as he opened the front door.

Shit.

"Hello Blaise." She said quietly, thrusting the bottle of elf wine she had spent most of her pay on towards him. She may have no money and be working for pittance but she didn't want anyone else knowing the financial situation she was currently in.

"Come in. Come in. Here let me take that for you." He said. Pansy handed him her wrap. "It's just through here." He indicated to a room through which she could hear the low level noise of conversation taking place.

Pansy hesitated and found herself frozen to the floor, unable to move. Blaise noticed and squeezed her arm gently. "They don't bite you know."

"Maybe not you." Pansy replied.

"I'll introduce you to everyone and if anyone has a problem with you then they can leave. Believe me, when Draco turns up you'll be old news."

"Draco isn't here yet?" she asked. After reading about his attendance in the letter she'd received from Blaise she had quietly hoped that he would already be at the party before she arrived. Spending time in the company of the boy who she'd pretended to be in love with was better than spending time in the company of those she'd pretended to hate.

"Nope, he should be arriving soon." He said and Pansy nodded. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Pansy took in a deep breath before putting on her most dazzling smile and nodding her head.

ooo

_24/06/2010_ _19:33, 3 St James Wood, London_

Hermione looked around the room. So far things seemed to be going well. She had been most surprised when Pansy had walked up to her after being introduced to everyone by Blaise and of all things, apologised for the way she'd treated Hermione throughout their Hogwarts years. Hermione had readily accepted the apology and from what little conversation they'd had before she had been pulled to go and help Padma in the kitchen, it seemed very likely that the two of them would strike up some sort of friendship in the future.

She glanced at her watch and wondered where Harry and Ron were.

"It's going well right?" Padma said from beside Hermione.

"It's going very well. You had no reason to be up all night worrying." Hermione replied.

Padma laughed nervously. After her conversation with Hermione earlier today at work, she'd decided to act as if she'd never received the letter in the first place. She'd taken it from the pocket of her robe and stuffed it in the back of her underwear drawer. Out of sight out of mind.

"Benji's enjoying himself." Hermione remarked, nodding her head to where Benji was standing next to Blaise whilst he talked to Theo and his date.

Padma smiled as she watched her son look up at the two men before he tried to place his arms in a similar position to Blaise's.

"I assume he's the reason why the cake has three holes in it?" Hermione asked.

Padma shook her head at Benji's antics. "You guessed right. I'll have to cut around them before I serve."

The fireplace turned green, illuminating the large room before Harry stepped through it. Hermione smiled and made her way towards him.

"Why Mr Potter. I do believe you scrub up good." Hermione teased although her words weren't false. She thought of Harry like he was her little brother but it didn't stop her admitting that in the white shirt he had chosen to wear, his tan looked even better. These two things coupled together also brought out his emerald eyes.

"Why Miss Granger. I am ashamed you ever thought otherwise." Harry replied before kissing her on the cheek.

ooo

Harry moved around the room and said his hellos to everyone before his eyes landed on a lone witch standing in the corner and his eyes widened. There was no way Merlin would be kind enough to drop the witch he's been constantly thinking about into his lap like this. Oh wait he had.

Harry moved towards her and he watched in slight confusion as her eyes darted from side to side looking for a way out. Why did she have such a problem being in his company? He had been looking for her everywhere throughout the week and he had only managed to catch a small glimpse of her on Wednesday thus ensuring him that his mind wasn't going crazy and that he hadn't hallucinated her presence or something equally embarrassing.

ooo

Pansy looked to her left and to her right in panic. Merlin she was boxed in. There was no where for her to go. Her eyes moved back to the man who was making his way towards her and she froze. She watched with anxious eyes as he came up to her and her breath caught as she gazed into his green eyes. His mouth opened and she prepared herself for what was surely about to come. Her shoulders stiffened and she looked him determinedly in the eye.

"Hello." He said.

Pansy looked up at him blankly for two seconds before her pureblood manners kicked in. "Hello."

"I've been meaning to introduce myself to you for quite sometime but you're quite a hard witch to pin down."

Pansy gave a nervous laugh. Did he know she had been purposefully avoiding him at work?

"I'm Harry." He said with his hand out for her to shake.

Pansy's heart dropped to her stomach. Merlin, he didn't know who she was.

"Y-Yes I know who you are." She tripped over her words and she quickly shook his warm hand.

Harry leaned forward into her personal space and whispered conspiringly, "Don't believe everything you read in the papers."

Pansy gave another nervous chuckle and her mind was brought back to the words that had been written about her in the papers all those years ago. Did he believe everything they'd wrote about her?

"Don't worry, I tend to go out of my way not to read the papers, particularly the Prophet." She said, before taking a sip of wine to bring moisture back to her mouth.

"Ah, a girl after my own heart." Harry replied.

Pansy froze in her action of taking another sip of wine. Merlin, was he flirting with her? This had to be some kind of pre-arranged joke? She turned to face Blaise and Padma but they weren't even looking her way; too busy whispering to each other with little hidden smiles on their faces.

"Sorry?" was the only thing she could think of to say.

ooo

Harry watched the witch in front of him and with every passing second he grew more and more attracted to her. She made a refreshing change to all the witches throwing themselves at him.

"So how long have you been working in the Auror office?" he asked.

"Just under a month." she replied.

"Where you drafted in from another department?"

She gave another nervous chuckle. "Um- no, I actually just moved back from France."

"Oh- did you attened Beauxbaton's?"

Harry heard his name being called in greeting by Dean before the witch in front of him could reply. He saw Dean gesturing him to come over and he plastered a smile over his face to cover the annoyance before he nodded his head to indicate that he would be with Dean in a moment. He turned back to the witch.

"Maybe we could get some dinner together sometime next week. I'd like to get to know you better." He said, a smile forming on his face as she looked at him with shocked wide eyes.

"D-dinner?" she stuttered.

"Nothing fancy, just a simple dinner." Harry said before he realised he didn't even know her name. He was just about to ask when someone shouted across the room.

"Pansy Parkinson. What the hell is she doing here?"

Harry's head snapped towards Ron's voice to see him staring at the witch in front of him. He swivelled his head back around to her and the features he'd found vaguely familiar, snapped in place. She was looking up at him with those pretty wide eyes, her mouth open to say something but no words were coming out.

Harry's brow crinkled together in confusion. "Pansy Parkinson?" he asked incredulously.

He watched as the apparent Pansy closed her mouth and looked down at her feet before giving a small nod. Harry recoiled. Merlin! He had just asked Pansy Parkinson out on a date! Bloody Hell!

ooo

Blaise snapped his head to Ron, anger instantly filling him.

"Ron what the hell is your problem?" Blaise shouted at him.

"My problem?" Ron yelped. "Parkinson's in the same room as everyone in case anyone hasn't noticed. What the fuck is she doing here?"

Pansy flinched at his words. Blaise glanced at her and felt his anger renew at the state she was in. Her eyes were glassy and wetting slowly with tears whilst her pale skin was turning a blotchy red colour which he knew meant she was upset.

"She's here because Padma and I invited her."

"What in Merlin's name did you do that for?" Ron asked.

"Ron!" Hermione shouted, pulling herself into the fray.

"What Mione? You can't be serious? Do you even remember what she did? She offered to give Harry to Voldemort to save her own skin."

"It's in the past Ron." Padma intervened with her calm voice.

"And what does that have to do anything? There are some things you can't just forgive and forget." said Ron.

"I think you should leave Weasley." Blaise said.

Ron turned to look at Blaise in disbelief. "You want me to go? What the fuck about her?"

"She isn't the one causing a scene Ronald." Hermione answered in a clipped voice.

"Hermione is right. It's yo…" Blaise started to say before he was cut off by Pansy.

ooo

"Blaise, please." Pansy said, shaking her head. "It's fine, I'll go." She added.

Harry's reaction to finding out who she was hurt more than the hatred being directed at her by Weasley. For a few minutes she had stupidly thought that all was forgiven; that the man she found herself attracted to actually liked her back, regardless of her past. She turned to face Harry and when she locked eyes with him, he immediately looked away. The old Slytherin barriers she had built in Hogwarts flew back up, turning her back into the cold girl she once was.

"I made one mistake when I was a teenage girl. I never claimed to be courageous or brave like you Gryffindor's. I was a young girl terrified for her own life, and so yes I made a mistake." she turned to Harry. "I am sorry for what I said but I can't take it back. I don't expect you to forgive me," she turned back to Weasley, "but I would have thought that you would have the decency to let me live my life. I'm not the only one who made mistakes during the war." She said referring to when Ron had left Harry and Hermione during their mission to find the Horcruxes. The story had somehow leaked in the papers around six months after the war had been won and it was such a big scandal, that even the French papers ran the story.

Pansy turned to Blaise. "Thank you for inviting me but I think it's best if I leave."

Pansy turned to Harry again. "Don't worry Potter. I don't feel bad that you want to rescind your offer." She lied. "I wouldn't want to go to dinner with a man who's ashamed to be seen with me." She added before apparating away, leaving Harry standing there wholly ashamed.

ooo

Hermione stared at the area where Pansy had just stood. Her words were ringing in her ears and she wanted to hit Ron multiple times over the head for being such an insensitive fool.

"Well Blaise, you certainly know how to throw a party." drawled a voice.

Hermione gasped and turned to where the voice had come from, her eyes landing on Draco Malfoy's form. He was standing in the doorway, a glass of firewhiskey in hand as he lazily peered around the room.

Hermione glanced back towards Ron, anticipating him to blow up any second and was surprised when he looked at Blaise and Padma in disgust before silently apparating away. Her heart settled slightly in her chest but it jumped back to her throat when she turned back to face Malfoy, only to find him staring at her. When she locked eyes with him, he smiled and lifted his glass slightly in the air, as if he was toasting her, before draining it empty. Hermione looked at him in confusion.

"Draco, I'm glad you could make it." Blaise said.

Malfoy's eyes swivelled to Blaise and he nodded his head slightly.

"Let me introduce you to everyone." Blaise said.

"That's quite alright Blaise. I'm rather able to introduce myself." He drawled before turning back to face Hermione and moving towards her.

Hermione froze at his actions and her back instantly stiffened. So much for the plan she and Padma had come up with to ignore him all night long unless it was completely necessary to talk to him.

* * *

_Author's Note: So what do you think! Don't hate me for the cliffhanger! The story is going to start moving along now so those of you who didn't like the fact that there had been no Dramione interaction so far should be pleased. Until next time, Curiositykils. _


	6. Chapter 6

"_**Love sees sharply, Hatred sees even more sharp, but Jealousy sees the sharpest for it is love and hate at the same time" Arab Proverb**_

_24/06/2010_ _19:42, 3 St James Wood, London_

Draco kept his eyes firmly fixed on Granger as he moved across the room to where she was standing. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the Ravenclaw standing next to her; head peering between him and the witch next to her, eyes alight with curiosity and slight suspicion that she must have picked up from Blaise. Or maybe all Ravenclaw's were generally suspicious people? He wasn't sure, after all, he hadn't bothered to spend much time in their company at Hogwarts. Everyone who was of any influence was in Slytherin with the exception of Potter who had of course been in Gryffindor.

His mind left this trail of thought and narrowed onto Granger's face. She looked surprised that he was coming up to her. He smirked slightly at the fact that she was trying to hide it from him. He would be able to spot any lie from her face a mile off. It could prove to be useful in the future.

He came to a stop a few feet away from the two witches. He turned his body slightly to face the Ravenclaw, his eyes flickering across her features. He had a vague recollection of her from their Hogwarts years but then again, he had made it his business to be aware of the hottest girls in his year. He had admitted that she and her twin were pretty but one was in Gryffindor which ruled her out and the other (this one) was in Ravenclaw. Draco didn't do boring.

"Miss Patil." He said to her, bringing her arm up to lay a kiss across her knuckles. Old pureblood manners were rarely seen these days but Draco prided himself in the way he acted around others. He would have included her name in his greeting but he couldn't for the magic in him remember what it was. Something beginning with P?

He turned to Granger and saw that the look of surprise on her face hadn't been masked yet. Did she not realise she was looking at him like a dazed fool? The chit had probably never seen proper manners before in the company she kept. Of course, as was evident tonight, you couldn't expect much from commoners like the Weasley's.

"Miss Granger." He said as he held out his hand for hers. He took pleasure in the slight tremble he saw in her hand before she placed it in his. As Draco lifted it to his mouth he felt her fingers stiffen slightly in his hold. He could smell some sort of jasmine perfume she had dabbed on her wrist and it made him momentarily heady. He kissed her knuckles lightly, merely brushing his lips up against her skin but before he dropped her hand, he ran the pad of his thumb against the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist.

ooo

Hermione felt his intimate touch on her wrist and immediately yanked her hand out of his hold. She was still looking into his eyes and instead of the earlier aloof politeness that was held there before, there was now a hint of…challenge? Also, was he laughing at her?

Hermione grit her teeth together. "Malfoy." She acknowledged him in return.

"Please it's Draco." He replied. Hermione stared at him for a moment as she mentally said his name over and over again. She couldn't get her mind to say it without the rolling of the "r" and lengthening of the "o". She decided it would be best not to repeat it at all. Instead she nodded her head to indicate she had heard him.

ooo

Draco's lips curled upwards slightly. He was having an effect on her. He could see it. He wished his father were here so he could see first hand just how wrong he was to doubt him. Granger may be intelligent or a lady or whatever else his father may have categorised her as, but she was still a woman. And all women he'd known in the past reacted in exactly the same manner (all be it in slightly different levels of passion) to a handsome man giving them lingering gazes and invisible touches.

This was going to be as easy as taking a pumpkin pasty from a newborn baby.

His mind registered the fact that they had been standing in awkward silence and Draco forced his mind back on the task at hand.

"You have a wonderful house…" he said to the Ravenclaw. Merlin, he really needed to find out what her name was before the night was over. Adding her name when he spoke to her would warm her up towards him. If Granger's friends liked him it would mean one less obstacle in getting her to date him.

"Thank You." The witch replied. Draco had seen much of the lower floor of the house when everyone had been busy with Parkinson and he wondered why Blaise, with all his money, had not done better for himself. He could easily have a grand house, instead of this upper middle-class property he had settled on.

He turned to Granger, to find her looking at him inquisitively. Right Draco, time to get down to the serious things now.

"I heard that your next topic of research is on the vampire population, am I right?" he asked Granger and watched as she blinked blankly at him.

ooo

Hermione was startled at the unexpected question Malfoy had just asked her. Merlin, she hadn't seen or heard from him in years and now he was asking her on her work research. Who in Merlin's name was this and what had they done with the real Draco Malfoy? The optimistic side of her mind scorned her slightly. Pansy had changed so why not Malfoy? However for some reason, she was more hesitant when it came to him. She'd been in such deep thought, she hadn't realised she hadn't answered his question yet but when her brain came back to the present, she found Padma was already explaining to him the reasons behind their research and what they hoped to achieve.

She watched him as he nodded his head every so often at something Padma said. Merlin, had he really changed because otherwise this was a pretty good act.

"What are you doing these days?" she heard Padma ask him.

She saw Malfoy's mouth open to answer but she couldn't hear the words he was speaking. Her mind was strangely drawn back to the touch she'd felt on the inside of her wrist. Had he done that purposely? Her gaze dropped to his thumb before she looked back up to his face.

She suddenly froze when Malfoy's eyes flicked to hers in the middle of one of his sentences. His gaze landed on her for a tiny millisecond but she was held in place by its intensity. Merlin's beard this was not good. She had to get away from him.

Hermione waited for Padma to round off the conversation before she interrupted. "Padma, I'm sorry to interrupt but I think it would be best if we sat down for dinner now."

She saw Padma's confused expression but thankfully her friend didn't let on that anything was different and she simply nodded her head in agreement, before turning back to Malfoy. "I'm sorry Draco, if you'll excuse us."

Malfoy bowed his head slightly at the both of them. "It's quite alright. I suppose I should mingle a little more although I doubt I will find such scintillating company."

Scintillating company? What was he talking about? From what she could gather, he and Padma had been making routine polite talk whilst she hadn't contributed one iota to the conversation. Was he trying to be charming?

Hermione's suspicious look faltered once more as Malfoy's gaze landed on her. Embarrassed at having been caught staring at him in such a way, she pushed Padma in the shoulder slightly and they both moved away from him and into the kitchen.

ooo

Draco watched Granger disappear into the kitchen. Fuck, he'd thought he'd been making progress before she'd scuttled off. Maybe he was coming on too strong? No, that couldn't be it. Compared to the other witches he'd seduced in the past he was barely doing anything. Maybe he wasn't coming off nice enough. At times he'd caught her looking at him suspiciously, like she'd known what his plan was. No, that couldn't be it. Maybe he just needed to spend more time with her so she could ease up in his presence. Yes, that was right.

Only how was he supposed to do that when she apparently had no desire to spend any time in his company? She'd barely even spoken to him apart from her acknowledgement. The Granger he knew from Hogwarts was one that couldn't keep her mouth shut and yet just now she had been annoyingly tight-lipped.

He needed help.

His eyes gazed across the room and fell on Blaise talking with Potter at the far end of the room. A plan immediately formed in his head. All was not over yet.

ooo

Hermione took the heating charm off the dishes for their meal as she listened to Padma speculate.

"He didn't seem like I thought he would be like. He was actually nice! What do you think?" Padma asked.

Hermione smiled. What did she think? Malfoy had been perfectly polite to the both of them. She would go as far as to admit that he was charming but there was still something about him that kept her on edge. Something that made her slightly uncomfortable being in his company. He was hiding something that was for sure. Frankly, Hermione didn't want to spend time finding out what that was.

"He was perfectly nice but I don't see us becoming fast friends anytime soon." She replied.

Padma nodded her head in agreement. "There's something strange about him. Like he was trying too hard. All those questions he asked about our research. I never would have pegged him down as someone who cared about other creatures in the world. I still remember the slight fuss the Malfoy's put up over the wage agreement on the house-elves."

Hermione hmm'd in agreement, before picking up the first dish that was closest to her. "Oh well, it doesn't really matter. I mean, when exactly am I ever going to spend time with him other than at your dinner parties if you and Blaise invite him to the next one? I haven't run into him once over the last few years. I plan to keep it like that for the next few years to come." She said before taking the dish into the dining room.

ooo

"So I saw you talking to Padma and Hermione." Blaise said to Draco.

Draco picked up the name Padma and stored it away for future use. "Yes, I was asking them about their latest research project on the vampire population. I find it quite fascinating." Draco said.

Blaise raised an eyebrow at the statement. "Really? And what is it exactly that fascinates you?" he asked.

Draco smirked at the challenge and turned to face his new _friend_. Did Blaise really think he could trip him up? Draco was the master in this game, Blaise was barely a contender. He opened his mouth and rattled off the answer to his question. It was the same answer the Ravenclaw – he really needed to start calling her by her first name - had given Draco when he had asked her the same question not ten minutes ago. If this wasn't enough to put Blaise off his tail then he wondered what would.

Thankfully he didn't need to worry about that for much longer. As he spoke on how the vampire population migration patterns were of great importance to him and the rest of the wizarding world, he saw the suspicion fade from Blaise's eyes.

Well done Draco, he thought to himself mentally.

He was interrupted in his passionate explanation when the Ravenclaw announced dinner. Draco moved quickly into the dining room. He had to get the seat next to Granger's. A few more light grazes in specific places under the table would leave her flustered and malleable in his hands. Only his plan was scuppered when he entered the dining room and saw little place cards had been set by the seats. Draco found his quickly at the corner of the table next to Blaise and he glanced at the seat next to him. Fuck. Bloody Thomas. Where was his damn luck?

He watched in barely concealed disappointment as Granger happily settled herself into a seat at the other end of the table between Potter and the little kid who had been following Blaise about.

ooo

Blaise watched in curiosity as Draco speedily walked into the dining room. He was either incredibly hungry or he wanted to grab a seat next to someone. Blaise followed him into the room and watched Draco's face fall slightly at the fact there were name cards indicating where people were to be seated.

Blaise's eyebrows rose at the next thing he saw. Merlin, he would never have guessed it. Padma had joked about it yesterday night but he didn't think it was feasible but now he didn't have a clue. Did Draco want to sit next to Hermione? At the look Draco had just directed in her direction Blaise reckoned so.

After the first course had been magically plated up and individual conversations started to take place, he wondered how he could validate his hypothesis. Bringing up the topic of Draco's dating life wasn't something one man asked another. Maybe he could ask Padma for help with his plan? If the question came from a woman it would be fine. Yes, that is what he would do.

ooo

Draco sat at the dinner table and forced himself not to reach into his robes, pull out his wand and weld Thomas's mouth shut. There was only so much he could take of the man spouting off old Quidditch scores at the matches he'd reported at.

Draco shut the voice out of his head and tried to come up with a way to put his plan into action. He couldn't very well go up to Blaise and announce that he had a secret crush and hoped Blaise would think the witch in question to be Granger. That would be too precarious. He needed the question to come from Blaise himself so he could successfully carry out his part of looking shy and uncomfortable.

Bloody hell, that would never happen if Thomas didn't fucking shut his mouth. Draco glanced at him with thinly veiled disgust. How the man could talk, eat and breathe at the same time without keeling over was beyond him. Commoners; they were the strangest creatures he had ever met.

ooo

Mandy Brocklehurst ate her soup silently. Merlin, she had been attracted to Theo for ages, ever since they were kids in Hogwarts. She had been over the moon when he had asked her out five days ago at work. Now as she sat here she wondered why he had even bothered. It was quite clear that he had no interest in her. He had barely even said a few words to her at work these last couple of days and even tonight! On their so called first date he was still as tight lipped as ever! Merlin, she was all for the strong silent type but this was taking it too far. Was he even interested? Was she merely a disposable date?

She had shared her excitement and following confusion with the best friend. Lisa had initially told her to relax; Theo might just be a naturally shy person. After all he had asked her out and that was the most important thing. She had been singing a different tune an hour later when Theo had walked past Mandy's desk without even glancing at her or saying a word. Lisa's advice had been to make him jealous. All men were possessive; if he thought "his" date was being acknowledged by other men, surely he would show his interest more openly.

At this moment in time Mandy was desperate to try anything. She had been struggling to come up with a way to make him jealous but now that a very sexy Malfoy had entered into the equation it made things quite simple.

"So Draco, what have you been doing since Hogwarts?" Mandy asked.

ooo

Draco looked up at Theo's date before he answered. If he had been anywhere else he would have told the prying witch to fuck off out of his business or given her a look indicating that's what he wanted her to do. "I'm in the process of setting up my new company. It should be running shortly." Hopefully that would be enough to keep her from asking more pestering questions.

"A new company? Wow, what is your business model?" Mandy asked curiously. Her sister had set up her own beauty salon not six months ago. Sarah may have been excellent at beauty charms but the business side of her brain was somewhat lacking. Naturally Mandy had stepped in to help her little sister and had produced a business plan that wowed Mr Lufkin at the Ministry. Her sister had got her start up loan and the business had been going from strength to strength thanks to the steady stream of Hogwarts girls making frequent visits during their Hogsmeade trips. Mandy was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw Theo shift in his seat slightly at the interest she was showing Malfoy. Time to go in for the killer question.

Draco smirked slightly. He'd had many witches asking him what his new company would be involved in so they could calculate his potential worth in the near future. He had to hand it to Theo's date though; he hadn't heard the question being asked in such a professional manner before. At risk of setting off Thomas again he answered, "It is essentially based on creating a new range of Quidditch apparatus, particularly brooms that are far superior to the current stock available today."

"A new broom that can beat the Asteroid 3000? You'll have trouble with that I think. I got to try it out when I was reporting at the Holyhead Harpies game a few weeks back. The one where they won by 200 points. The handling is out of this world. It'll be hard to top that, the speed of the thing too." Dean said.

Draco clenched his jaw. "That's what they said about the Nimbus but it didn't stop the Firebolt from out performing it in every aspect. And then the Asteroid out performing that."

"Surely that would take a long time to brainstorm and create. What does your other half think about you spending so much time at work?" Mandy asked innocently.

ooo

Theo's head jerked up intently and he stared hard at Draco. Why exactly was his date so interested in someone else's dating life? Especially Malfoy's. Her asking all these questions made him look bad. He ground his teeth together before making a note to show her that she should be interested in one man and one man only; him.

Blaise's head too jerked up and it snapped in Draco's direction. He saw Draco about to open his mouth and he stilled in anticipation. Was he about to get his answer now?

Draco froze slightly at her question before smiling. Looks like the bint had solved his earlier problem. This was perfect. Time for the act of your life Draco.

"There isn't an other half…yet." He said. He forced himself not to snort on the words. He couldn't understand why people actually thought the other half of their soul was with someone else. Draco had long ago admitted to himself that he had no soul and therefore had no need to go along with such idiotic rubbish that others believed in. "I have my sights set on someone but it's early days yet." He finished before making sure he did a visible glance at Granger before quickly turning back. He mentally prayed Zabini had his eyes open enough to catch the look.

Blaise's eyebrows rose at the look Draco had given Hermione. Merlin's beard. He fancied Hermione. This was incomprehensible. He couldn't wait to tell Padma.

ooo

At the other end of the table Hermione watched Harry as he morosely played with his soup. She was confused and if there was one thing Hermione didn't like, it was being confused by something.

She desperately wanted to ask Harry all her questions so her confusion could clear but she knew he wouldn't appreciate being asked about such delicate matters in front of others so she waited impatiently until dinner finished and she could get him alone.

She turned her gaze away from him as Benji pulled on her sleeve slightly. She looked down at him. "Yes honey?"

"I'm bored." He said with a pout. "Mummy and Aunty Vati are talking about girly things and Alia won't talk to me either. I want to go sit with Daddy."

Hermione smiled. "But where would you sit?" she asked.

"Daddy's legs." Benji replied in a tone as if it should have been obvious to her. She laughed slightly and ruffled his hair.

"Well how about you talk to me? I'll try not to bore you." Hermione said.

"Oh don't worry Aunty MG. You're not boring." He said before lowering his voice. "Aunty Vati is."

This time Hermione laughed out loud. "Don't tell her you think that. She'll be sad."

"Can you tell me some more of the story?" Benji asked.

Hermione's eyebrows knit together in yet more confusion, "What story?"

"The story! The one you started telling me when I came to stay at your house because Mummy and Daddy had to go somewhere and I wasn't allowed to go." The pout on his little face reappeared.

Hermione's mind went back slightly and she remembered the last time she had looked after him because Dean and Parvati hadn't been able to. Her mind vaguely remembered the bed time story she had started to make up in order to get him asleep.

"Oh of course. I remember. Where did I finish again?" she asked him.

Benji's eyes lit up. "It was where the Prince had gone into the dark castle and he'd found the long scary bridge with the fire-breathing dragon at the end of it. He was just 'bout to cross the bridge and fight it so he could get his best friend back from where the dragon had hidden him."

Hermione sighed thankfully. She really didn't remember the story all too well but she had enough to go on from what Benji remembered, "Right, so the prince looked the evil dragon in the eye and raised his sword-"

"But Aunty MG, the sword had already dropped into the volcano when he was peacefully talking to the giants." Benji interrupted.

Of course it had. "Right, of course, what I meant to say was that he raised his shield and held it out in front of him ready for the huge dragon to open his mouth and blow a great big ball of fire at him. He…"

ooo

_24/06/2010_ _21:23, 3 St James Wood, London_

"Hey, you okay?" Hermione asked Harry. She had spotted him standing alone drinking after dinner coffee in the living room and with Malfoy scaring her every few minutes with his frightening glances that left her feeling annoyingly intimidated, now was the perfect time to get answers from Harry.

"I'm fine Mione." Harry replied dejectedly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at his tone. "Your voice is contradicting your words."

Harry gave her a wry smile but didn't say anything.

"Is it the girl you where telling me about? Has something happened? Is that why you were asking Pansy out?" Hermione pushed slightly.

Harry sighed. "The girl was Pansy. Pansy was the girl."

Hermione startled. "What? But…then what's the problem? Why did she say that you regretted asking her out?"

Harry looked Hermione in the eyes. "I didn't know who she was." He said quietly.

Hermione's eyebrows rose even further. "Um, this might be a stupid question but how can you not know who she was? You asked her out. You said she's been working with you for the last week."

"I didn't recognise her, I mean she looked familiar but she looks so different! I- I didn't know who she was. I told you she was avoiding me, Merlin now I know why? Bloody hell Mione, I think I screwed up. Big time."

Hermione was about to reply when she caught Malfoy staring at her again and the words died in her throat. She narrowed her eyes in confusion at his gaze and watched him smirk at her bewilderment. She clenched her jaw and purposefully looked away. If Malfoy thought he could waste her time by playing these silly little mind games with her then he was severely mistaken.

She turned back to Harry and saw him looking morosely into his coffee. She patted his arm in sympathy. Hermione knew him well. If he made a mistake then he would fix it; he didn't need her telling him to do so.

ooo

Draco sipped his black coffee. He was actually having fun playing with Granger. It was like his own personal little form of revenge every time he would see her eyebrows furrow in confusion when she caught him looking at her. Throughout Hogwarts she had always been such a know it all. He knew how annoyed she must be right now and the satisfaction it bought him was immeasurable.

"So Draco, who's this mystery women that's got you in spin then? It's definitely a first." Blaise asked.

Bingo. Draco took a sip of coffee and savoured the sweet and bitter taste in his mouth before answering. "Yes it's definitely a first."

"I have to say I'm surprised that you haven't asked her out yet. The Draco I thought I knew went in head first and got what he wanted."

Draco gave an ironic smile at his words. It was exactly what he was doing but Blaise didn't need to know that. "She's different. To be completely honest with you, I don't think she'll ever see me as boyfriend material. All she knows of me is what she's seen or read in the past. I haven't exactly made the best impression so far. I'm unsure of how to go about changing her opinion of me."

Blaise's romantic Italian heart twitched in sympathy for his new friend. He sounded sincere enough and by the way he was talking about this "girl" it seemed to him that if she had caused such a change to come over Draco, the least he could do was offer a little helping hand in kick-starting their relationship.

"Well just show her you've changed." Blaise said.

"I-I'm not sure how to do that." Draco said quietly. His eyes glanced up quickly to see if Blaise had believed his strategically placed stutter.

He had.

"What are you talking about?" Blaise asked.

"Look, you and I both know my past with girls. They weren't exactly ladies." Draco said quoting his father's words. "I don't know how to treat her. You must know what I'm talking about. Your reputation at Hogwarts spoke for itself. How did you treat Padma when you first met her?"

Draco's words were true. During Hogwarts, before all the war business started to take hold, Blaise was perhaps second to Draco when it came to being somewhat of a reincarnation of Giacomo Casanova. His dark looks and Italian mouth came quite handy when they were put to the purpose of bedding their female classmates. However unlike Draco, who took pride in being seen to have an icy heart that said female classmates desperately tried to melt, Blaise had a completely different approach to seduction. He liked to focus on one woman at a time, slowly coaxing them into his world, making them feel like they were the only female in his life before he let them warm his bed. When it was time for him to move on, his conquests were quite happy to say good-bye unlike Draco's who turned into jealous clinging banshees.

"I acted like a gentleman." Blaise said. Seeing Draco's blank look he came up with an idea. "Look, how about we get together for dinner and I can give you a few tips."

Draco's ego instantly dismissed the idea. Getting tips on how to treat women from someone else? Like he needed that! "That would be great. Thank you Blaise."

Blaise nodded. Now all he needed to do was see what night Hermione was free for dinner and invite her out whilst inviting Draco there too. Simple. He looked around the room to see if Hermione had left yet but instead his eyes found Padma. She was talking to her sister and even though they were identical twins, Blaise immediately focused on his half. He'd always found it funny how one lustful look from Padma could bring him to his knees and yet he wasn't at all attracted to Parvati.

As if sensing that Blaise was looking at her, Padma turned her head slightly to look at him. Her mouth stretched into a smile and even from across the room he could see her dark eyes twinkling playfully. He remembered her earlier promise and he felt his body prickle slightly with heat. In less than one hour he would be getting his promised slow, long, earth-shattering shag. He couldn't wait.

* * *

_Author's Note: Until next time (two weeks or under), Curiositykils. _


	7. Chapter 7

_**"I**__**f**__** we really want to love, we must learn how to **__**f**__**orgive" Mother Teresa (1910- 1997)**_

_27/06/09 08:59, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

Harry darted his eyes around the Auror department. He had been told that Pansy often came in earlier than the rest of the department so she could get some work out of the way before everyone else started piling it on her. Only Harry couldn't see her yet. Where the hell was she? He had come in at an ungodly hour in the hope of catching her and explaining why he'd acted like such an idiot but as far as he could tell, she hadn't walked through the lift yet.

He'd spent the whole weekend going over what had happened at the party in his mind. The look on her face when Ron had been shouting at her…the words she'd said before she'd apparated away…

After the war Harry hadn't given any thought to her; she wasn't even a blip on his radar as the Muggle saying went. He hadn't given her one thought and yet it was because of him that her whole life had changed. He couldn't understand it. Harry himself had no problem with the fact that she had once upon a time offered to give him up to Voldemort. Like Pansy had said; she had been a scared young girl- yet it seemed like everyone wanted to hate her on his behalf.

Harry groaned into his hands and pressed the palms into his eyes. He saw the burst of stars behind his eyes and for a few seconds simply stared at the colours exploding behind the closed eyelids. Of course it wasn't as simple as he was making it out. He'd acted like a complete tosser in his shock at who she was. Merlin, she probably thought he felt the same resentment that everyone else apparently harboured towards her.

"Auror Potter, are you ready for our weekly meeting?" came Kingsley's deep voice.

Harry lifted his head and rapidly blinked his eyes in order to clear the dark spots that where dotting his vision.

"Yes Auror Shacklebolt I'm ready." Harry sighed. It didn't look like he was going to get a chance to speak to Pansy before the day started like he'd hoped.

"Are you okay?" asked Kingsley quietly.

Harry shook his head as he stood up from his desk. "Yes I'm fine thank you, just a little tired. I think I'm still on a different time zone."

"If you haven't recovered yet I advise you to take some extra time off."

"No" Harry said quickly. If he went home he'd have no chance to speak to Pansy and his time would be spent thinking on how he should have acted at the party. "I'll be fine. I just need to catch up on some sleep."

Harry said nothing as he watched Kingsley regard him silently. When he nodded his head in agreement Harry let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Just when he thought Kingsley was going to turn around and walk back in the direction he had come from, he saw his eyes land on something behind his own shoulder. Harry resisted the urge to turn around himself and look to see what had captured the Head Auror's attention. Two seconds later and Kingsley raised his eyebrows mutely before speaking, "I'll see you in the briefing room then." With that he walked away.

Harry watched him disappear with a confused expression. He sighed once again before turning around. He grabbed his cup of coffee that he'd become addicted to thanks to the time he'd spent at Hermione's flat and as he looked up, he saw the witch in question step out through the open lift doors.

Pansy.

Harry instantly started to move in her direction, his eyes firmly fixed on her so she couldn't get away.

"Auror Potter." Harry froze at his name and turned quickly, his gaze landing on Kingsley standing in the briefing room doorway. "We are waiting for you."

Harry's hope fell and he nearly told Kingsley that he had to go do something else but his mind stopped him before the words came out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry." Harry said. He stepped around his chair and made his way towards the room. Before he entered, he glanced back at the lift doors to see if Pansy was still in the area and to check if she had seen him yet.

She had already disappeared.

ooo

_27/06/2010_ _08:55, 3 St James Wood, London_

Padma crept up to Blaise who was sleeping on their bed; limbs sprawled in every which direction. She quietly giggled at the sight before moving her hand through his hair to rouse him.

After a few seconds, she saw Blaise move his head closer to her fingers though his eyes remained closed.

"What time is it?" he asked his voice hoarse with sleep.

"Nearly nine. I'm about to leave, I just wanted to let you know I'm going." Padma replied softly.

"Nine?" Blaise finally opened his eyes, "Benji?" he asked in question.

"I dropped him off today. You deserved some extra sleep after last night." She whispered before leaning down and kissing him lightly.

Blaise groaned at the contact and moved to wrap an arm around her sitting form, pulling her closer to him.

"How about you take the day off and we can carry on from where we finished?" he said suggestively.

Padma laughed before moving his arm from around her waist. "I can't leave Hermione by herself, especially right now. We're too busy." She said.

Blaise pouted causing her smile to widen at the face he was making. "Don't make that face at me. I promise I'll make it up to you tonight." She said placatingly.

Blaise growled slightly but moved away from her and lay back down on the bed. Padma stood up and straightened the creases in her robes. She patted down her hair and reapplied her lipstick before she randomly remembered where Blaise had to go tonight.

"You have the meeting with Draco today don't you?" she asked, looking at Blaise's form in the mirror. She saw him run a hand over his face before he replied in the positive.

"Have you asked Hermione to come tonight?" Padma asked.

"No, not yet. I'll owl her today at lunchtime." Blaise replied.

Padma turned around and walked back towards him. "She won't say yes easily. You know that right? His staring at her on Friday freaked her out. She told me that she was going to avoid him as much as possible. I don't think her future plans include sitting down to dinner with him whilst you play matchmaker."

"I'll persuade her." Blaise said.

Padma let out a laugh and leaned down to kiss him. She was a hairs breath away from his lips when she spoke. "As long as you don't persuade her in the same way you persuade me to do things." She said.

Blaise leaned up to press his lips against hers but she moved her head back. He saw the mischievous twinkle in her eyes before she blew him a kiss instead and apparated away.

"Minx." Blaise thought as smiled at her actions. He stretched his limbs one last time before getting out of bed.

He had things to do, people to persuade and people to teach.

ooo

_27/06/09 11.48, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

Pansy opened the door to the filing room slightly and peered out into the corridor. Seeing that the coast was clear, she opened the door fully and stepped out. Her gaze moved back to the precarious stack of files in her hands and she straightened her arms slightly to keep them balanced.

She was so exhausted. Last week it had been fine avoiding Harry, but today with the fact he was actively to the point of doggedly seeking her out, it was a lot more difficult. Nearly twice she'd been cornered by him and the weariness was tearing her nerves to shreds.

She twisted her hand slightly to glimpse at the time and had just caught sight of it when a voice called her name out. Pansy startled and the folders on the top of the pile she was carrying fell to the floor.

She stared at them blankly, in the recess of her mind she was deliberating on whether she should stay and pick up the files or just run away and leave them.

ooo

"You didn't really think you could keep avoiding me did you?" Harry said as he walked up to Pansy.

Finally. He'd been trying to catch her all morning. He came to a stop behind her, expecting her to turn around and face him but she didn't. "I'm an Auror, it's my job to catch the…" Harry stopped as he realised what he was about to say.

Pansy clenched her jaw and masked her face before whirling around. "The bad guys?" she finished for him.

Harry shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. His apology wasn't getting off to the best start.

"Look Pansy," Harry said and he saw Pansy raise her eyebrows at the use of her first name but he didn't correct himself, "about what happened on Friday. I didn't mean to act the way I did. I- I was just surprised because I didn't recognise you, if I had believe me I def-"

ooo

Pansy interrupted him. She knew he wouldn't have asked her out if he had known who she was and she really didn't need to hear it again.

"Look Potter, I'd really like it if we could just ignore the whole thing. I'll stay out of your way and hopefully you'll stay out of mine. I need this job and…" Pansy voice petered out as she realised she had nothing else to say. Or at least nothing more she wanted to tell him or that he'd be interested in hearing.

She shook her head and bent down to retrieve the fallen files. When she stood up, Harry was looking at her with a confused expression on his face and when she saw him open his mouth again she quickly spoke first.

"I have to get back to work." She said, her voice coming out more strongly and determined than she thought she had strength for.

ooo

Harry watched in silence as she turned and half walked half ran away from him. She hadn't even let him finish. His eyes narrowed as he followed her body across the department's floor. Maybe next time he cornered her he should place a silencing charm on her? At least that way he could tell her that even if he had recognised he didn't feel the way Ron did.

"Next time." He promised himself silently.

ooo

_27/06/2010 12:03 Minsitry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione looked at the letter that had just been delivered to her. At first glance she had immediately recognised Blaise's meticulous handwriting on the front from the many lunch invitations he sent to Padma. She had just been in the process of standing up from her chair to put the letter on Padma's desk when she saw that it was addressed to her.

Hermione sat back down and quickly tore the seal. Why in Merlin's beard would Blaise be writing to her in the middle of the day? Her eyes quickly scanned the contents and when she came to the end of his message she simply stared at the words with eyes that blinked unbelievably.

"Hey do you mind if I go to lunch first? I'm starving." She heard Padma asked her. She turned to her friend and held up the letter.

"Blaise just sent me a letter." She said. "He wants me to go and have dinner tonight with him and Malfoy!"

Hermione watched Padma's face closely and was surprised at the lack of shock and ridicule being shown.

"I know," Padma replied, "He told me he would be messaging you today."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "You knew? He can't seriously expect me to go! Why on earth would I have dinner with Malfoy, regardless if Blaise is present or not? I just saw him on Friday."

"Ask Blaise." Padma replied putting her hands up in the air as surrender, "I'm not getting involved." She said before turning back around and grabbing her handbag.

Hermione watched Padma walk away in contemplative silence before grabbing her quill and replying to Blaise's letter.

ooo

An hour later and Hermione and Blaise had sent many quik-e-messages between them but Hermione was still reluctant to meet them both for dinner.

"Hey," Padma said as she returned. "So have you made up your mind about tonight then?" she asked.

Hermione scoffed. "No! I still don't understand. Blaise says that Draco wants some help with something and he needs a women's perspective? Why doesn't he just ask his mother for help? Why me? Merlin, we don't even know each other! It's weird!"

Just then another quik-e-message came whizzing towards Hermione and Padma laughed. "So how many messages have you and Blaise sent to each other then?"

Hermione groaned. "Merlin, dozens!"

"He doesn't give up easily you know." Padma said.

Hermione gave out a wry laugh. "I know. I think I'm learning the hard way."

The message started fluttering around her head and she reached out for it before it started poking her eyes out. She sighed as she read the few short words written on the page.

"It might be easier just to go tonight. It's probably the only way Blaise will leave you alone so you can get some work done." Padma pushed gently knowing that her words would appeal to the logical side of Hermione's brain.

Blaise had excitedly told her everything that Draco had said to him on Friday night and although she was hesitant about Blaise's plans, she agreed with him when he said that Hermione would be good for Draco and Draco (if he really had changed) would be good for Hermione. It had been a few months since Hermione had broken up with Michael and she hadn't been on a date since.

Padma watched in sympathy as her friend groaned again and let her head fall to the table with a bang. She said nothing, knowing that Hermione would eventually write back to Blaise in agreement to his plans before spending the whole afternoon chewing her ear off on what kind of help Malfoy needed.

ooo

_27/06/2010_ _19:17, 3 St James Wood, London_

Hermione flooed to Blaise and Padma's house; her mouth ready to make demands from Blaise. She had eventually decided to agree to dinner and had spent most of the afternoon brainstorming ideas with Padma on just what exactly this "meeting" was about.

Padma had been unusually quite. Normally she bounced straight in with theories that her Ravenclaw mind had thought up, and they nearly always turned out to be correct. Today however, all Hermione had managed to extract out of her were a few words and a whole lot of hmms and head nodding.

There was definitely something fishy going on here.

As she stepped through their fireplace and rubbed down her robes (she'd chosen to go with some of her practical work robes rather than one of her party robes), Benji came flying off the sofa.

Hermione tumbled back slightly, her hand coming out to steady herself on the mantle as Benji hugged her legs tightly.

"Hello Benji." She smiled.

Benji looked up at his Aunty MG and gave her a toothy smile. "Mommy and Daddy are upstairs. Mommy's getting Daddy ready." He said, "But the doors locked again." He added.

Hermione let out a laugh at the adorable confused look on his face before lifting him up into her arms, no longer caring about the wrinkles her robes may sustain. After all, it was only Malfoy and Merlin knows she didn't want to look like she had dressed to impress him. She still shivered as she remembered his looks from Friday.

Hermione walked towards the end of the staircase and placed the Sonorous charm on herself before shouting out her arrival. Benji slapped his hands to cover his ears and if Hermione was quiet enough, she could have probably heard Blaise being thrown off the bed in surprise.

ooo

Two minutes later a flustered looking Padma came hurrying down the stairs. Hermione caught her eye and grinned before glancing down at Benji who was colouring on the floor and made sure he couldn't hear her words.

"I believe your son would like to know just why your bedroom door was closed when you were dressing his Daddy. I decided not to tell him that there was probably more undressing then dressing going on." She teased.

Padma turned a light shade of red and narrowed her eyes in mock anger towards Hermione. "Blaise will be down in a few minutes." She said airily as if the last five minutes hadn't occurred.

Hermione laughed and after a few seconds, Padma too, burst out in giggles.

"And what are you two laughing at?" Blaise said as he walked into the room.

Hermione and Padma looked into each others eye before renewed laughter came forth. Hermione tried to stop the tears leaking from her eyes; she needed to demand answers from Blaise! She took in a deep breath and waited until her stomach had stopped hurting before she whirled around to face him.

"I demand to know what this is all about." She said to him.

Blaise's face gave away nothing. "We can talk about it at dinner." He said, leading Hermione towards the fireplace.

"No Blaise. I want to know now, before I go to this dinner. You already know so why can't you just tell me already?" Hermione stood her ground.

Blaise sighed and shared a look with Padma before turning back to face her. "Look, Draco was talking to me on Friday and it seems his got his eye on this girl." He explained.

Hermione raised an eyebrow in indication for him to continue.

"This girl knows the Draco from the past, the Draco that's been written about in the papers and she isn't impressed."

"Who would be?" Hermione asked her mind flicking back over the numerous articles on Draco's love (more like sex) life. "What does this have to do with me?"

"He doesn't know how to get her attention and show her that he's changed. He wants our help so we can teach him how to act like a gentleman around her." Blaise said before silently adding "and by the way the girl's you" to the end of the sentence.

Hermione scoffed. "You can't be serious? That's the biggest load of codswallop I've ever heard! Malfoy needing help to get a girl? And my help at that! He's a pureblood; the supposedly gentleman behaviour has probably been ingrained into his brain since he was born!"

"The stuff may have been ingrained into his brain since birth but when has he ever used it? He's always got what he wanted. He's never had to ask a girl out on a date before. They usually throw themselves at him. He's just a little confused." Blaise said. "Come on, it's just a few hours of teaching him how not to act like his old self around her. That's it. No more." He coaxed.

Hermione weighed up the pros and cons in her mind. She still wasn't sure. Malfoy may have changed but him needing her help to get a girls attention didn't seem very believable.

"Please." Blaise said. "You'll get a free dinner out of it and a once in a lifetime chance to tell Draco his numerous flaws to his face."

That caught her attention and Hermione rolled her eyes before nodding her head slightly.

"Great, let's go. We're supposed to be meeting him at seven thirty." Blaise exclaimed. He moved to kiss Padma and Benji goodbye before the two of them stepped into the green flames.

ooo

_27/06/2010_ _19:24, 3 St James Wood, London_

Padma watched her son as he drew a picture of himself, her and Blaise. She felt a pang when she saw him label the picture as my family. Making up her mind she left Benji on the living room floor and made her way up to their bedroom.

She closed the door slightly and even though she knew there was no-one else in the house, she could feel her heartbeat quicken slightly at the thought of being caught.

Grabbing her wand she quickly opened her underwear drawer and pointed it in the corner she had placed the letter. She watched it revert back into its normal size and she reached for it slowly.

Scanning the contents again, even though she knew the words off by heart, she grabbed a clean piece of parchment and quill before writing a hasty reply.

It wasn't until the owl was merely a speck in the distance that she felt her heart calm and return to its normal rhythm.

ooo

_27/06/2010_ _19:30, Cucina, Diagon Alley_

Hermione settled herself into her chair and took a sip of elfin wine before looking around. She had of course been to Blaise's restaurant before but she could see he had made some small changes to the interior design since the last time she had come here.

Blaise had left her alone for a few moments while he went and talked to the manager about something or the other and she was glad. It gave her a chance to collect her thoughts. Her mind was still jumpy about tonight.

ooo

Blaise stood at the bar, his gaze flicking between the table Hermione was sitting at and the front door through which Draco should be entering any moment now. He had just rolled up his sleeve to check the time when he spotted a head of unmistakable blond hair walk in.

Blaise watched Draco do a swift glance around the room before the maitre d' started to escort him in Blaise's direction.

"Blaise." Draco said in greeting, his hand stuck out to shake his.

"Draco." Blaise replied.

"I'm so glad that you decided to arrange this meeting. I could do with all the help I can get." Draco said.

"Anything for a friend." Blaise replied.

Draco ordered a drink from the bartender and once it had been poured, Blaise suggested moving to a table. Draco swiftly agreed. He didn't want to act like a bumbling fool in love in front of people. A table would be the most private considering the partial silencing charms that were placed around each individual table in order to muffle conversations from eavesdroppers.

He followed Blaise through the sea of tables onto the upper level of the restaurant.

"I hope you don't mind but I invited someone to come along tonight. I thought a woman's perspective would be a good idea." Blaise said.

Outwardly Draco shook his head but inwardly he clenched his teeth in anger. That was just one more person who he had to convince and who could potentially leak the fact that Draco was "in love". He hoped it was the Ravenclaw. She seemed to like him enough on Friday.

As they weaved through the tables and Draco caught sight of the table they were inevitably heading for, his gaze landed on the back of the unwanted guest. Draco faltered in his step slightly which did not go unnoticed by Blaise.

"Granger?" Draco asked Blaise incredulously. He saw Blaise furrow his eyebrows at the anger in Draco's voice.

"Yes Hermione." Blaise replied, "She is the one you were talking about isn't she? After all you spent plenty of time staring at her at the dinner party."

Draco barely contained his growl of annoyance. Merlin Zabini was going to ruin his plans with his forthrightness. After the dinner party, he had spent the entire weekend analysing Granger's actions at the party and from what he could remember of her from their Hogwarts years. He knew he had to tread slowly and carefully when it came to her. He had a short period of time in order to get her to date him but moving too quickly would put that bloody mind of hers into distrust mode and he would never be able to recover in time for the bloody meeting with the lawyer.

It seemed his initial plan of meeting with Blaise and letting him gently put in a few good words into her bushy head wasn't going to work out. The stupid bugger had decided to take things into his own hands. Draco realised he had no other choice but to scrap the plan and form a new one.

He sighed deeply at the thought of such a good plan going to waste before answering. "It isn't Granger." He lied to Zabini.

Draco watched Blaise freeze in his steps. "It's not Hermione?"

"No! You didn't tell Granger that it was did you?" Draco asked quickly to ascertain the damage that Zabini had done.

"No. I told her that you needed help in learning how to be a gentleman in order to woo some crush you had…Merlin's beard, it's really not Hermione?"

"No." Draco said angrily. He desperately wanted to curse Zabini in the balls. Why could he not have just followed the bloody plan!

ooo

"I guess I read the signs wrong then." Blaise said. Even as the words came out of his mouth he didn't quite believe them. No man stared at a woman like Draco had stared at Hermione if he didn't want her.

All those glances…That forlorn look at the dinner table. What the hell was all that about then?

Maybe he was losing his touch. He nearly laughed at the embarrassment he would have faced if he had gone through with his plan of making up some excuse and leaving Hermione to dine alone with Draco tonight.

"Well, I guess there's no harm done right. You could still use a woman's perspective and Hermione can still help." Blaise said to Draco.

He watched Draco nod his head in agreement before they resumed walking to the table. Blaise registered the clenched jaw Draco had and because he could ease his puzzlement on what was wrong he saw that they had already reached their table.

ooo

Hermione looked up as she saw two shadows behind her shoulder. Her eyes first met Blaise's and she smiled at him as he moved to sit down. As he took the seat next to her his body moved out of the way and her gaze landed on Malfoy.

Hermione was once again held in place by his stormy eyes and she felt a shiver go down her spine at the way he was looking at her. She quickly looked away and took a sip of wine so her heated face would hopefully cool. Unfortunately the first thing she saw as she put her wine glass down was Malfoy's face. He was sitting in the chair opposite her.

Hermione saw him raise his eyebrows a fraction of a millimetre and she clenched her teeth slightly before turning her body so she was facing Blaise rather than him.

Why was he acting so weird? She didn't like it.

ooo

Draco hid his smile as he watched Granger swivel in her chair so she was facing Blaise instead of him. He really was having fun playing with her. She was so responsive to the smallest look it was as if she was a shy little girl instead of the strong successful woman he'd read about over the last few days.

"So I think we should start with a name." Blaise said. Draco glanced at him before taking in a deep breath in preparation for the act to begin.

"Her name is Jennifer Rouge." he replied. As he said the name, images flashed through his mind of the woman in question. She'd been the woman he'd lost his virginity to at fourteen. Her name was the only real piece of information he planned on giving out during the course of this evening.

"She's a half-blood. She's a year younger than us and she attended Beauxbaton's. I met her a few months ago but have had little contact with her since then. I've sent her dinner invitations, all of which she's politely declined."

"It doesn't seem like she wants to go out with you Malfoy. There's not much you can do about that." Granger said.

Draco flicked his gaze to her and watched as she immediately looked away. "She doesn't want to have dinner with me because as far as she knows I'm still an evil Death Eater. And it's Draco…Hermione."

ooo

Hermione looked back at Malfoy as he said her name. He said it the same personal way he had at the party on Friday. She still didn't like it. Her head nodded as she acknowledged his request but her mind was once again saying his name in a rolled out motion.

"Well it seems like you need to talk to her in a neutral setting. Someplace she feels comfortable." Blaise offered. "What about going to parties that she might also be invited too and striking up conversation there?"

Hermione nodded her head in agreement, "Someplace where there are other people close by so she doesn't feel intimidated or scared in your company."

"You think I intimidate and scare her Hermione? Tell me, do I intimidate you?" Malfoy asked.

Hermione froze at his question. "I've known you since we were little children at Hogwarts. She doesn't." she replied, completely ignoring the fact that his tone suggested he was teasing her.

She watched Malfoy raise his eyebrows. "You didn't answer the question."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "No you don't intimidate or scare me Malfoy." She lied. Truthfully she was a little scared and intimidated of him and it angered her. This was Malfoy for Merlin's sake. She had known him- well not known him- but had been aware of him for years now. Not once had he intimidated her, even when he was Death Eater and yet now...

"It's Draco." Was all he said in reply.

It was what he did next that caused her to jump up in her seat. She had just about been to reach for her wine glass when she felt a rub on her leg. It moved up, down and then once more upwards. She angrily turned to face Malfoy but he was looking in the opposite direction; his face devoid of emotion. It couldn't have been her imagination because there was no possible way her imagination could make up the feeling of Malfoy rubbing his leg against her bare calf.

ooo

"Hermione, are you okay?" Blaise asked as the witch beside him jumped slightly in her chair.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Draco turn to look at Hermione curiously.

"I'm fine." Hermione replied in a flustered voice. Blaise didn't believe her but didn't push the matter any further.

He had been listening and watching Draco and Hermione's interaction quietly over the past few minutes and was becoming increasingly confused at the way they were acting. He decided to ignore it and move the conversation back onto the matter at hand.

"Shall we order dinner? We can talk more after that." He suggested. He saw the two of them agree; Hermione having opened her menu and disappeared behind it before he had finished his sentence.

ooo

Draco didn't bother to conceal his little smile at Granger's reaction. She wouldn't see it anyway what with her head being buried in the menu. He opened his own menu and perused the dishes on offer.

"What do you recommend?" he asked Blaise.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Granger lower her menu to a more customary level although her eyes remained fixed in a lowered position.

Blaise laughed. "Seeing how I trained the chef, I think it might be better for my modesty if Hermione answers that."

Draco flicked his eyes over to Granger and caught her gaze before she quickly looked away to face Blaise.

"Oh. Well everything's great. I don't think I could really exemplar one dish. They're all excellent." Granger replied.

"Hermione, you're doing wonders for my ego." Blaise quipped.

Granger smiled at him before looking down again.

For the next minute there was silence as each of them studied their menus in silence. Blaise signalled for the waiter and when he reached the table he gave his order. There was a further two seconds of silence where he expectantly waited for Granger to give her order. When it looked like she was about to open her mouth to ask him to go ahead he countered with a smooth "After you," before she could speak.

She gave him a small smile before she gave her order.

"And for you sir?" the waiter turned to him.

"I'll have the same as the lady." He saw Granger snap her head up to his and he gave a small smile of satisfaction. He'd regained her attention. He didn't like it when she tried to ignore him. "The highest recommendation could only be whatever you choose to eat yourself." He answered her unspoken question.

For some reason he saw her lips form a small sly smile which she quickly tried to hide by taking a sip of wine. Now it was Draco's turn to be confused. What did the witch have to be smiling slyly at? It was twenty minutes later when his mouth was burning at the spiciness of the food whilst she calmly pushed a glass of water his way that he got his answer.

Bloody witch.

ooo

_27/06/2010_ _21:08, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

Hermione apparated into her flat and collapsed onto the couch. A purring Crookshanks came and wound himself around her legs. She smiled and reached down to rub behind his ears before taking off her shoes and robes.

Merlin tonight had been strange. Firstly there was the fact that Malfoy had been perfectly civil. Then there was the whole business with the rub on her leg. As for that, Hermione was quite sure she must have read more into it than was intended. Malfoy had probably just been shifting his position and his leg must have accidently brushed against hers. That was all. After all he had been perfectly polite for the rest of dinner. He'd acted how she would have expected him to act when dining with a former enemy whilst she gave you tips to help your love life. She felt quite silly in thinking he had done it on purpose. After all it seemed he was quite smitten with this Jennifer Rouge girl.

For the millionth time that evening, Hermione wondered what Jennifer was like. After all, she had captured the attention of Draco Malfoy, notorious playboy. She must be quite something.

Hermione sighed and made her way to her bedroom. All she could say was good luck to the pair of them. As for her, she was ready to go on with her life and that included no more dinner dates with Draco Malfoy.

Damnit, she was still rolling out his name!

* * *

_Author's Note: Wow this was the longest chapter yet I think. How did you find it? Thank You to those who reviewed and PM'd me on the last chapter! It's really great to hear all your comments. Until next time, Curiositykils_


	8. Chapter 8

**_"When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal." Napoleon Hill (1883- 1970)_**

_28/06/2010__ 08:01, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco walked into the Manor's breakfast room and sat down at the table. His mother and father sat on opposite sides to him; each eight feet away. He waited fairly impatiently as Droopy brought him his morning cup of tea. Once the house elf was within arms reach of him, Draco aggravatingly picked up the cup instead of waiting the few extra seconds for the house elf to reach him.

He stirred in his sugar and it was after his first sip that his mother spoke.

"I was hoping to catch you last night Draco but your father and I had already retired by the time you returned. How was your dinner with Blaise?" she asked.

Draco took another sip, choosing his words carefully before answering. "There was a slight hiccup but nothing that cannot be resolved."

He had spent a little time yesterday evening coming up with an alternate plan and the rest of night had been spent drinking Ogden's finest firewhiskey as his mind replayed the events that had occurred at dinner. He had been quite angry at Zabini for ruining his plan and the feeling had not dimmed in his slight alcoholic haze. However, Draco had congratulated himself on his newly formed Plan B.

Though most of the dinner had been spent making polite conversation whilst he gritted his teeth as Zabini and Granger gave him one sappy idea after another, he hadn't forgotten the fact that Granger, despite the fact she obviously wasn't happy with the situation, was still eagerly helping him.

He clearly hadn't underestimated her "help anyone in need" complex. All he needed to do was write to her for some extra help and get close to her that way. He was sure that if the two of them spent some time alone, she wouldn't be able to resist his touches.

"A hiccup?" Lucius asked steely.

Draco snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his father. "Yes, but like I have mentioned already, it is nothing that cannot be resolved."

"I should hope so as I fear you are running out of time to seduce the woman. A letter was sent to you this morning. It is on the mantlepiece." Lucius said and he nodded to ledge above the fireplace.

Draco quickly wiped his mouth with the linen napkin and stood from his chair. He took the letter and turned it over, instantly recognising the official red wax seal as the one used by the lawyers office. He moved back to the table and opened the letter using his butter knife.

His eyes scanned the contents quickly and he swore under his breath before resuming his seat. The asinine lawyer was breathing down his neck about a bloody date for his meeting with Granger. Why couldn't everyone just back off and let him carry out his plan as arranged. All this rushing would ruin everything.

"Bad news Draco?" Narcissa asked her son as she saw the darkening of his eyes.

"It is from the lawyer. He is requesting that I write back to him with an appropriate date and time so he can establish whether my relationship with Granger is true." Draco replied.

"We are running out of time Draco." Lucius said.

Draco turned to look at his father sharply. "I am aware of the fact father."

"Did Mr Iudex give you a period in which to reply?" His father asked.

"At my earliest possible convenience was suggested." Draco replied.

"And does this fit in with your master plan?" Lucius asked sardonically.

Draco grit his teeth together and forced his stare to remain on his cup of tea. "Like I have already mentioned twice father, it is nothing that cannot be resolved. If you'll excuse me." He said before standing up from his chair and walking out of the room. He needed to think up a new Plan C and he needed it urgently.

ooo

_28/06/2010__ 09:13, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, __117 Euston Road__, __London_

Pansy was sorting through the paperwork that had been dumped haphazardly all over her tiny make-shift desk when she saw a shadow fall over the papers. She didn't bother to look up, knowing that any second now, a wad of files would be thrown down and the thrower would walk away without a word. She had just entered the department ten minutes ago and it had already occurred seven times. Each time she forced herself not to look up and hex the person doing the dumping, merely taking in a calming breath before gathering their papers and sorting them into the separate piles she was currently forming.

She heard someone clear their throat from behind her and she stiffened before turning around. She met Harry's handsome face and took in a shaky gasp which she hoped was inaudible.

"Can I help you?" she asked him. Pansy had expected him to come up and talk to her again after yesterday's short conversation. He was Harry Potter after all. Who had ever walked away from him before?

"Yes actually. I was wondering if you could file these papers for me? They're the debrief papers from the Egypt mission."

Pansy raised her eyebrows in shock. He was asking her to file papers for him? Merlin- he had to be the first person to do so. Before she could control herself, her mouth voiced her surprise.

"You're _asking_ me to file papers for you?" she said.

She watched Harry's eyes cloud over slightly in confusion. "Um, yes, if that's alright."

Pansy narrowed her eyes at him. What game was he playing? "You're asking me to do my job?"

It had been made pretty clear by everyone in the department that asking her to carry out such trivial matters as their filing was beneath them. After all, it was what she was getting paid for. It was her desperately needing the job that forced her to bite her tongue and keep from shouting out on how bloody rude they all were.

No-one had been so nice to her in the workplace before. Pansy was momentarily struck (well not speechless evidently) but she was still struck.

ooo

Harry quickly backtracked and stuttered over his words. Merlin's beard, why was it every time he wanted to apologise to her he said something to mess it up? He saw her staring at him and quickly hurried to explain.

"No, I-I wasn't telling you how to do your job. You do a great job. A wonderful job, you definitely don't need any pointers on how to do it. I ju-" his voice petered off when he saw the small smile on her face. Did this mean she accepted his apology?

"I didn't mean it like that Potter. I know you weren't telling me how to do my job. I meant you were asking me to do something which is pretty much expected from me already." Pansy replied.

Harry immediately berated himself. It didn't mean she accepted his apology. It meant she thought he was an idiot.

ooo

Pansy watched as Harry tried to recover from his mistake and her heart betrayed her by fluttering slightly at the look on his face.

Pansy steeled herself. This was not good. "Right, I'll take the papers now." She said in a voice as normal as she could get it.

Harry quickly handed her the folder he was carrying and Pansy sighed in relief at the fact their fingers didn't touch.

Pansy kept her eyes firmly on the folder.

Harry kept his eyes firmly on Pansy.

Pansy felt awkwardness start to set in so she quickly manoeuvred around him, making up the excuse that she needed to file his report. She had taken three and a half steps when Harry called out her name; her first name.

She turned to look at him in question and watched for a few seconds as she shifted his weight from one foot to another. Finally he spoke.

"Do you have a minute?" he asked.

Pansy felt her heart start to beat a little more strongly than normal. Merlin, this was not good at all. "I actually should really be getting back to work." She said hoping it would be enough to put him off.

It wasn't.

"It'll only take a minute I promise." He pushed. Pansy found her head nodding traitorously.

Harry took two steps forward so she had to tilt her head slightly to look at his face when he came to a stop in front of her.

"It's about yesterday…and Friday." He said.

Pansy said nothing in response although a million things were flying through her mind. Harry took her silence as agreement for him to continue.

"I wanted to apologise for the way I behaved at the party. The way I acted was wrong; it's just that I was so shocked that I didn't recognise you."

Pansy sighed. "It's fine Potter, I already told you that I understand. I just want to forget it." She gave him a small smile before making to turn around.

"No!" Harry yelled. Pansy turned to face him quickly, horribly aware of the dim in the conversation around them at his outburst.

"No?" Pansy said. What did this mean? Oh Merlin, he was going to get her fired wasn't he? Merlin, she would have no job, no money, no place to live!

"No, I don't want to forget it. I was wondering if you would reconsider going out with me?"

No one would hire her? Merlin she was going to have to go shamefaced back to France and back to her mother. Oh how was she going to face her mother! Her life would be over! She would be forced to marry th-

"Pansy?" Harry said.

Pansy was snapped out of her thoughts and faced him, "What?" she said softly.

"About that dinner. I would really like it if you changed your mind."

"You're asking me out?" she asked doubtfully.

"Yes?" Harry said.

Pansy's defences came flying up around her; despite the fact Harry was acting perfectly nice. "Is this some kind of joke?" she asked him coldly.

In her anger she missed the confusion in Harry's eyes.

"Some kind of get revenge plan on Pandora Pansy?" she said referring to the name the Daily Prophet and later other publications had begun to refer to her as. The name didn't even make sense; Pandora had opened the box because she was curious, not because she had evil intentions. If they were referring to her "evilness" they evidently hadn't met her mother.

"No!" Harry said quickly. "It isn't some kind of revenge plan. I don't need revenge; I don't _want _revenge…All I want is dinner."

Pansy looked him fully in the eyes and stared hard. If he blinked her answer would be no, if he didn't she would say yes.

Twelve seconds later and he still hadn't blinked although her own eyes were now dangerously close to reaching the burning and crying stage.

He wasn't blinking…why wasn't he blinking? Was he serious?

Three seconds later and Pansy blinked her eyes. Oh Merlin he was serious? What did she say? Her heart was beating hard in her chest, practically telling her to say yes with each beat. Say Yes. Say Yes. Say Yes.

Her mind was telling her to say no. This could only end badly and then where would she be? She would be Pandora Pansy, ex-girlfriend to the boy who lived.

"Okay, calm down Pansy." She thought to herself, "Just because you go on one date with him doesn't make you his girlfriend."

ooo

Harry stood uncomfortably as Pansy scrutinised his face. He had enough sense (and pass practice when dealing with Hermione) not to blink when she was looking at him to see if he was lying.

After some time had gone by, Harry started to get nervous. She hadn't said anything. She was getting ready to reject him. Embarrassed, Harry tried to come up with something to say that would save his dignity. Maybe he should act like he was joking?

"Okay."

Harry's eyebrows rose at her answer. Well, now he guessed he didn't have to come up with anything. "Great! I'll let you know when and where." Harry said quickly before she had a chance to change her mind.

Pansy nodded her head once as if she couldn't believe she had agreed before she walked away.

ooo

_28/06/2010__ 09:42, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco Malfoy sat sulking at his desk in his study. In one hand he had the letter from the lawyer; in the other he had a glass of firewhiskey. He knew how early it was but desperate circumstances called for desperate measures. He always did his best thinking when he was mulling over a glass of firewhiskey and the current situation definitely called for some of his best thinking.

He was fucked. Although he wouldn't admit it to anyone else, he admitted it to himself. He was completely and utterly fucked. He heard a knock on the door and the hand around his glass tightened. He really didn't want to listen to his father lording over him but nevertheless he gave an icy "Enter."

Draco's body relaxed slightly at seeing his mother's face. He watched in silence as she closed the door quietly behind her and proceeded to sit down in the chair opposite his.

"Mother." Draco acknowledged. He saw her eyes take in the glass of firewhiskey but like any good pureblood wife, she kept her thoughts to herself.

"Draco, have you decided what to do in regards to Mr Iudex's letter?" Narcissa asked.

Draco stiffened slightly at the question but answered only because it was his mother asking it.

"Not as yet but I'm sure with a little time and careful planning I will come up with an adequate plan." He replied.

"A plan which will get results in only a week? For that is what Mr Iudex is stating when he suggests you contact him at your earliest possible convenience."

Draco let out a small sigh and his eyes flicked over the words in the letter again. "I am aware of the meaning of his words mother."

Narcissa raised her eyebrows slightly at the tone. "Then you are also aware that if you do not reply with a meeting time and date by next week then it is likely Mr Iudex will go straight to the source and write to Miss Granger."

Draco took a sip of his firewhiskey before nodding once in answer.

Narcissa watched her son. Her idea had come to her at the breakfast table as soon as she had seen Draco's expression after reading the letter. However, she had told herself that she would only intervene if Draco needed it. He would not appreciate being told how to handle his affairs but they were running out of time and therefore Draco would be willing to listen.

"Do you remember how mine and Lucius's marriage came about?" Narcissa asked lightly.

Draco looked into his mother's eyes. Even though her voice suggested nonchalance, her eyes didn't and Draco knew his mother wouldn't be saying something if it didn't have some sort of purpose.

Once again he nodded his head in answer.

"I was in love with your father but I was only in my sixth year when he proposed whilst he had already left Hogwarts for two years. When your father came and asked me to honour him by being his wife I was torn. I desperately wanted to accept but I also wanted to see the world before settling down and carrying out my wifely duties. I was a young sixteen year old girl who wished for the moon." Narcissa smiled wistfully before continuing. "Your father was so very angry when I turned him down, but when I explained that I did want to marry him but the time was not right he, after throwing a few tantrums, agreed. We were engaged for a year and a half and when I left Hogwarts I was so happy. I was about to get my dream to see the world before coming back home and marrying the man I loved. You of course know what happened next."

"Yes." Draco said. His mind flashing back to what his father had done. He was just about to ask his mother what relevance this had but she had started talking again.

"On my graduation day before I was set to go off, your father asked me to sign a contract. He wanted assurance that I would be faithful and when I returned a year later we would be wed." Narcissa let out a little laugh. "I signed the papers freely. I'd loved your father for years, I wasn't about to pass up the chance of finally becoming Mrs Malfoy. After all, I'd been dreaming about that for years. It was only when a wedding band appeared on my finger did I realise that your father had tricked me into signing a marriage contract."

Draco knew the rest of the story for when he was a little boy, he'd often asked his mother to repeat it. His father had said that to see the world, his mother didn't have to be unwed and instead, the two of them had set off on a year long around the world honeymoon instead.

Narcissa watched as her son remembered the rest of her tale but she didn't see the understanding in his eyes that she wanted. Therefore she pressed on.

"Your father tricked me into marrying him and despite the fact I wanted it to happen, I wasn't given any choice in the matter until it was too late." Narcissa smiled as she saw Draco's eyes light up as he caught on.

She stood up from her chair and placed a hand on Draco's. "You forget I was also once a Slytherin Draco." She said before walking out of the room.

Draco bowed his head slightly in apology. Fuck, after this he wouldn't doubt his mother and her manipulative ways ever again. She had given him the perfect solution. He quickly grabbed two pieces of clean parchment and his quill. He had two letters to write. One to Mr Iudex and another to Granger.

Mr Iudex was getting his meeting and Granger would most definitely be present and agreeable. After all, she would have no say on the matter until it was too late.

ooo

_28/06/2010__12:17__ Ministry of Magic Level 4, __117 Euston Road__, __London_

Padma had been on tenterhooks since yesterday. After replying to _his_ letter, she had practically been hopping from one foot to another in the hopes that she would receive the reply before Blaise returned home. After two hours had passed, she had quickly set up a charm that sent all her mail to work instead of the house. She had just finished setting it in place when Blaise had flooed home. Luckily, he had been too excited on catching her up on the events that had taken place at dinner to notice her nervous behaviour.

This morning she had rushed into work and flicked through her mail but there was nothing apart from the normal magazine subscriptions and other junk. She had been so disappointed that she hadn't got a single piece of work done all morning. Every time a letter flew past her, her head would snap up but she would watch it wistfully fly past her.

If Hermione had noticed this, she hadn't said anything.

Padma sighed and threw her quill down, giving up all pretence that she was actually working. Instead, her eyes watched the dozens of letters flying around her head, desperately wanting one to land in front of her and for it to be from him.

Forty one minutes later and her prayers were answered. A plain white envelope with scrawny hand-writing that she instantly recognised, landed on her lap. Her hands trembled as she picked it up and looked at her name on the front.

"Hey, I'm back." Hermione said as she sat down in her chair.

Padma jumped slightly at her sudden presence before she pushed the letter into her bag.

"Great, I'll see you in an hour." She said to Hermione before going on her lunch break. The letter burned a hole in her bag until five minutes later when she was sitting in the corner of the canteen, food untouched and eyes wide as she read his words.

ooo

_28/06/2010__, __17:22__, __26 Woolwich Place__, __London_

John Iudex got up from his chair and groaned as his stiff joints made their anger known at his movement. He rubbed them absentmindedly for a few seconds before making one of the many frequent journeys he had made today.

"Have you received any letters from the Malfoy's yet?" he asked his secretary.

She answered in the negative before carrying on with her work. John sighed before closing his office door and hobbling back to his desk. He supposed he would just have to be patient for a while. If he hadn't received a reply in a few more days he would write to Miss Hermione Granger himself and arrange this meeting.

ooo

_28/06/2010__ 17.35, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco quickly read through the two letters he had painstakingly written. He had wasted the whole day in carefully planning out every part, every sentence, every word of his new plan but he felt positive he could finally pull this off with success.

He folded the two letters, put them into two separate envelopes and sealed them with the Malfoy family emblem. Whistling for Archimedes to wake up from his perch, he wrote the corresponding names on the front and let them dry before placing them both around Archimedes's talons.

His eagle gave a loud hoot before flying off into the distance. Draco shut the window quickly before moving to his desk and pouring himself a glass of firewhiskey.

He took his first sip and smiled in celebration.

ooo

_28/06/2010_ _18:03, __14 Rosebush Way__, __London_

An unexpected letter fell through Hermione's window but went unnoticed by her. She was taking a relaxing bath and was deep in thought on whether the Ministry would fund her and Padma's project to Transylvania. She didn't register the loud meow Crookshanks gave out upon coming across the letter.

Inside the letter was written a time, date and place of a dinner meeting that would be taking place at 18:45 tomorrow evening at Cucina's.

It was also written that Draco Malfoy was very grateful for the help she had given him and to say thank you, he would like to take her out to dinner.

ooo

_28/06/2010__, 18.24, __26 Woolwich Place__, __London_

A long awaited letter fell through Mr Iudex's letter box. On the back, it bared the seal of the Malfoy family. Inside was written the time, date and place of a very important meeting that would be taking place at 19:00 tomorrow evening at Cucina's.

The letter also asked the lawyer to be discreet in his questioning of Miss Granger and mention nothing about his inheritance. After all, Draco Malfoy didn't want to go out with a woman who was only with him for his riches, did he?

* * *

_Author's Note: Thank You to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter! I loved hearing from all of you! Until next time, Curiositykils_


	9. Chapter 9

"_**Lack of money is the root of all evil" George Bernard Shaw (1856- 1950)**_

_29/06/2010, 08:54, Ministry of Magic, Level 1, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione stood in the Ministry of Magic's Atrium, eyes firmly fixed on the Apparation points. In her mind she desperately hoped that Blaise would be dropping Padma off today so she could talk to him. The hand next to her body clenched slightly, causing the letter she had read over and over again in search of some hidden message, to crumple that little bit further.

Merlin, she didn't want to have dinner with Malfoy - even if it was just a thank you dinner. However, Hermione knew that if she sent him a letter back saying it wasn't necessary, Malfoy would probably insist. Blaise would know what to do. He could go to dinner with Malfoy alone; Malfoy was Blaise's friend not hers. She didn't have to be there.

Hermione stopped her childish rant and took in a cleansing breath. She needed to stop worrying. Blaise would come up with some sort of plausible excuse to get her out of it and things would be fine.

ooo

_29/06/2010 09:12 Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Fifteen minutes later and Hermione was sat at her desk, heart and hope falling to dangerous levels as she read the quik-e-message sent by Padma saying she wouldn't be coming in today because Benji was ill.

Hermione bit her lip in worry. She quickly sent a reply to Padma saying that it was fine and to contact her if she needed anything and then she was left staring at Malfoy's letter. As much as she hated the thought of Benji being in pain and using him as an excuse, it didn't seem like she had any other choice. She took a blank piece of parchment and wrote a quick letter to Malfoy saying that since Benji was ill and therefore Blaise would unlikely be able to attend, maybe they should reschedule for another time.

Hopefully Malfoy would just forget and that would be that. She folded the letter in half, placed it in an envelope and gave it to Jenny, the department's assistant to post.

Feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest, Hermione got down to work.

ooo

_29/06/2010 09:51 Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco suppressed his sigh as his mother announced that it would be best if they went through tonight's events one last time to ensure no mistakes took place. Draco spoke patiently and that was only because it was she who had given him the idea of tonight's plan.

"I will meet with Granger tonight at quarter to seven. Fifteen minutes later, Mr Iudex will come and join us. I estimate the meeting will take no longer than five minutes after which you will send me your urgent owl and I will be forced to draw the evening to a close. I think that covers the basic points. Try to relax mother; the whole meeting is bound to take less than half an hour after which I will be 50,000 Galleons richer and I can finally get the business underway. It will all work out perfectly."

Draco's attention was drawn to the door as he heard two knocks. An "enter" later and the door opened to reveal the house elf who was holding a letter of some sort in his bony hands.

"There's a letter for you young Master Malfoy." The house elf squeaked nervously from the doorway.

Draco sneered. "Well then why haven't you handed it to me already?"

He watched the house elf quickly hurry forward- well as quickly as his old legs would allow, before he handed over the letter, bowed low till his name's sake ears touched the wooden floor and hobbled out of the room. Draco turned the letter over in his hand and his eyebrows knit at the unrecognisable but elegant handwriting on the front.

His mother cleared her throat slightly and stood to leave so that he would have privacy. As soon as Draco heard the door click shut he quickly tore open the letter with his letter opener and unfolded it. His eyes narrowed at the words and he swore slightly. First Zabini, then the lawyer and now Granger; why couldn't people just stick to the bloody plan!

He quickly wrote a letter back telling Granger that he didn't plan on cancelling the dinner. The stupid witch had thought he had invited Zabini along and he quickly addressed the problem by saying that he and Blaise could arrange to have drinks another time. Just because Blaise was detained didn't mean they couldn't enjoy dinner together. He called for Archimedes and gave him the letter before watching the eagle fly out of the open window.

Draco remained fixed in his chair as he would until Archimedes returned with a reply.

ooo

_29/06/2010 10:32 Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione was engrossed in her work on how to improve Wizard/Goblin relations that when a letter appeared in her message tray. She picked it up and opened it lackadaisically. She forced her eyes off her work to glance at the letter's contents which barely registered in her mind before her eyes were drawn back to their original position. Three seconds later, her mind caught up with her eyes and she gasped before re-reading the letter from Malfoy.

He still wanted to have dinner with her? Oh Merlin; Blaise got thank you drinks, why in Merlin's beard did she have to sit through a whole dinner? She would gladly take the drinks! Drinks took half an hour at the most! She briefly contemplated sending a reply saying how she had other plans but Malfoy would think it strange on why she hadn't used that as an excuse in the first place. If she said that now, he was bound to think she didn't want to have dinner with him and even if the fact was true, she couldn't bring herself to be rude. Even to Draco Malfoy.

Sighing in defeat she disconsolately wrote her agreement and watched in apprehension as the letter disappeared. It was at this moment that she missed having more close girl friends other than Padma to talk to. For some reason, she wasn't very sure that Harry would be able to advice her on what to wear to a dinner date with Malfoy.

On the subject of Malfoy, Hermione supposed it was time she started practising how to say his name in an articulate manner.

ooo

_29/06/2010_ _19:24, 3 St James Wood, London_

"I don't wanna eat anything." Benji whined before kicking his small legs in an effort to move the duvet off his body.

Padma sighed before waving her wand to take his temperature again. The numbers flashed to show 39.6°. Padma pushed his damp hair off his forehead and gazed at him sympathetically.

"It's alphabet spaghetti." She coaxed. "with sprinkled cheese, your favourite."

Benji pouted before whining again in answer. Padma placed the food on the table not pushing him any further. Blaise had been in the floo with the Healer who had told the two of them that the most important thing was that Benji got lots of fluid and since he wasn't rejecting the flavoured water she was regularly asking him to drink, she could pass on getting some food in him.

"I want Daddy." Benji pouted before his small body shivered slightly.

"I'm right here little man." Blaise said as he came into the room.

Padma stood up and settled the covers back over his body as Blaise moved to sit next to him. Benji immediately turned on his side and flung his small arm over Blaise's middle, burrowing his head in Blaise's chest.

The image of the two of them cuddled up together caused Padma's mind to flick back to yesterday's letter. Ever since she had read it she hadn't been able to think of anything else. Coming home and seeing Blaise and Benji reading a book together had caused guilt to gnaw away at her. Worse was that Blaise had noticed her strange behaviour. She had passed it off as a hard day at work and when he had told her to sit down and relax whilst he got dinner ready, she felt even more awful.

He had asked her if she was okay again this morning and she had passed it off as worry for Benji.

She desperately wished she hadn't ever replied to him in the first place. If Blaise found out he would rightfully be angry and upset. Watching the two men in her life, Padma made a silent promise to herself that it was all over. If he wanted to talk to her again, he would have to do it through the right channels.

It was the right and only way to do this.

She wouldn't write to him anymore and Blaise would never find out.

She was pulled out of her daze when Blaise said her name softly. He had one arm open in invitation and a smile shaped her lips as love washed through her at the gesture. Moving forward, she settled herself in his arms and fingered Benji's hair.

He could never find out.

ooo

_29/06/2010_ 18_:37, Cucina, Diagon Alley_

For the second time in three days, Hermione found herself entering Blaise's restaurant to have dinner with Draco Malfoy. After an afternoon of practice, she could finally say his name in a normal way but who knew what would come out of her mouth when the time came.

Hermione was nervous and she hated the feeling. She had rushed home, showered and spent much too long a time than Malfoy deserved wondering on what to wear. For some reason, she felt the need to dress up and the disparaging side of her mind had immediately rejected the idea two seconds later. She didn't want Malfoy to think she had dressed up to have dinner with him. She had eventually settled on a black and grey dress and had apparated to the restaurant early in the hope of having a few minutes to herself to get her bearings.

Unfortunately, when she said Malfoy's name to the maitre'd, he swiftly informed her that Draco had already arrived and was waiting for her. Unwanted butterflies erupted in Hermione's stomach and she quickly pressed a fist to it before following the maitre'd to their table for the evening.

As they neared, Hermione saw Draco catch sight of her and she watched as he stood from his chair. His old pureblood manners both pleased and annoyed her. She was a modern woman living in the twenty first century and yet her heart still betrayingly fluttered around Malfoy. She told herself that it was just because it was a change to what she was normally used to. Imagining Ron acting the way Malfoy did, did make her feel slightly better.

"Hermione, I'm glad you could make it." Draco said.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief at the fact he didn't want to kiss her hand like the first time they had met but then she remembered that he hadn't two days ago. She smiled and replied. "Thank you for inviting me, although it really wasn't necessary."

ooo

Draco watched her sit and waved her words away with a lazy flourish of his hand before resuming his own seat. "I wanted to thank you for helping me."

Draco had to force the smirk to stay off his lips. Granger really didn't know how much she really was helping him but it wasn't his problem.

"I'm a few minutes early." He heard her say.

"No problem, I like to be early to appointments too." He saw Granger's eyebrows furrow slightly at his words and smiled. "Would you like a drink?" he asked. She was getting him 50,000 Galleons, he supposed the least he could do was buy her a drink before he left.

"I'll have a glass of wine, thank you."

Draco flagged down a waiter and told him to bring Hermione her wine and him another glass of firewhiskey. They both watched the waiter walk to the bar before catching each others eyes. Draco smiled at Granger's nervousness.

"So have you had any more luck with Jennifer yet?" Granger asked politely.

Draco's mind went blank for a millisecond before he realised who she was talking about. "Not yet. I've decided to hold back for a short while."

Granger nodded her head in agreement. "That's a good idea. She knows you're interested so backing off will give her time to get used to you."

Draco's mind went back to their previous conversation. He wanted to see her eyes flash again.

"To get used to not being intimidated in my presence?" he asked casually, accompanying his words with a sip of firewhiskey. Over the rim of his glass, he saw her eyes stare fully into his.

"If she finds you intimidating then yes."

Disappointed at her response, Draco placed his glass back down on the table. In the lull of the conversation, he took the time to slowly rake his eyes over her. Her hair, which at their last meeting had been in a half bun, had this time been left fully out and the wild curls tumbled around her face- which held the faintest trace of make-up he noticed pleasingly. His eyes quickly fell on her dress which was one step above the robes she had worn previously. Did Granger dress up to have dinner with him?

He smiled at the thought. "Did you come straight from work?" he asked nonchalantly.

ooo

Hermione froze slightly. He thought she had come from work? The cynical side of her mind said a small I told you so at the time she had wasted fretting over what to wear.

"Yes I did." She lied. Thankfully at that precise moment, the waiter came over with their drinks and Hermione quickly took a sip of wine in the hope of hiding her false words. She watched Draco smile slightly before he took his own drink and shifted his old glass towards the waiter.

"Thank you." She told the waiter when she realised that she hadn't said it already.

The waiter smiled at her before announcing that he would be back in a few minutes to take their order if that was satisfactory. Hermione registered the menu on the table and she quickly reached for it before nodding to the waiter.

The quicker they ordered, the quicker they could get their food, eat and then she could go home. She perused the menu and saw Draco take his own menu and open it.

"Merlin's beard." Draco gasped. Hermione's head flew up and she looked at him confused. He however wasn't looking at her; his eyes firmly fixed on a point behind her shoulder. She turned in her chair and her gaze landed on a middle aged man with greying hair. That couldn't be right? She turned back to face Malfoy to find him looking at her in panic.

"Malfoy?" she asked questioningly.

"Jennifer's Uncle" he said quickly before glancing at the man again.

"Sorry?" Hermione asked confused.

"Jennifer's Uncle." He reiterated. "He's one of her close family members who doesn't believe I've changed." He finished hastily.

Hermione glanced back at the man who seemed to be heading right for them.

"He's coming this way. Follow my lead." Draco said. Hermione turned back to face him puzzled at his words. Her heart was beating in adrenaline and she didn't even know why!

"Follow your lead on what?" she asked Draco quickly.

"Pretend we're dating." He said quickly.

Hermione's mind went momentarily blank at his words but before she could emit her yelp of "WHAT", Malfoy had already stood up from his chair and was shaking hands with the man, leaving her to silently open and close her mouth like a fish.

What in Merlin's name was going on? She opened her mouth to voice her questions when she caught sight of the panic in Malfoy's eyes and the words died on her lips.

"Miss Granger?" the man asked her.

Hermione turned to face him and she forced a polite smile on her face before nodding her head.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." The man said. "This shouldn't take more than a few minutes and then I will let you go back to your dinner." Hermione's eyebrows furrowed at his words and the fact that he sat down on a chair that seemed to have magically appeared out of nowhere.

He was joining them for dinner? And what would take a few minutes?

"Forgive me for asking such a personal question but are you and Mr Malfoy currently in a relationship?" he asked.

Hermione's eyes widened and her mouth hurriedly opened to correct his false assumption.

"Yes, we've been dating for the past few months." Draco said hurriedly.

_What? _

Hermione turned her head to look at Draco before she turned back to the man.

What was going on?

"Forgive me but have we met before?" Hermione asked the man.

He smiled, "Oh I didn't introduce myself. My name is John Iudex."

Hermione's mind recognised the name but she couldn't place him. Was this man really Jennifer's Uncle? If he was, surely Malfoy didn't want him to think the two of them were dating. Word would get back to Jennifer and she wouldn't accept Draco's advances then.

Suddenly the pieces fell into place and anger surged through her. Malfoy wanted to show Mr Iudex that he really had changed and what better way than by going out with Hermione Granger, famous hero and more importantly, famous muggleborn.

She should put an end to this sham immediately. But doing so would hurt Draco's chances of winning over Jennifer. Hermione was torn.

"So where did you and Mr Malfoy meet each other?" Mr Iudex asked her.

Hermione, grateful for the chance to speak the truth replied. "We were at Hogwarts together."

"Ah so you're childhood sweethearts then?" Mr Iudex asked with a smile on his face.

"Merlin No!" Hermione yelped. "We're not childhood anything!"

Opposite her, Draco spluttered slightly and cleared his throat causing both Hermione and Mr Iudex to stare at him. Hermione watched as he chuckled uneasily and she revelled in the sound. He deserved to be feeling uneasy. What in Merlin's beard had he been thinking?

"What Hermione means is that we knew each other in Hogwarts but it was many years later when we met again that..." Draco trailed off and Hermione's eyebrows rose sharply at the innuendo.

"Oh," Mr Iudex laughed, "I forgot you said that you'd only been seeing each other for a short time."

Hermione raised a single eyebrow and stared at Malfoy pointedly. "Yes, it's been a very short time." she said through clenched teeth. If she could have seen under the table, she would have kicked him in the shins.

"May I ask where you met?"

"At a dinner party that two of our friends held." Draco injected smoothly before Hermione could even take in a breath.

"I see. I suppose that's all I need to know." Mr Iudex said as he stood up from his chair and leaned down to collect his briefacse.

"I'll be in touch Mr Malfoy. Miss Granger, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope your relationship continues on succesfully." Mr Iudex said.

Hermione turned towards Draco and sent him an evil glare before muttering a "I wouldn't hold your breath" under her breath. It appears it wasn't quiet enough because both Mr Iudex and Malfoy stiffened as if they'd heard the words.

"Pardon me?" Mr Iudex said as he looked from Hermione to Draco.

Draco let out another uneasy chuckle before having the audacity to walk around the table and placing a suprisingly warm hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Oh don't listen to her rambling."

Hermione gawked up at him. "My rambling! I'll have you know Malfoy-"

She was stopped when she felt Malfoy's hands squeeze her shoulder none to gently and instead of finishing her sentence she focused all her efforts on jamming his hand from her body.

"You didn't catch us at the best time." she vaguely heard him explain to the old man. "She's not too happy with me on account of my tardiness this evening."

Hermione stopped her fidgeting at his words. Merlin, the lies just seemed to flow freely out of his mouth.

"Oh I know exactly what you're going through. My wife hasn't been all too happy with me recently either. All these late nights have meant I've missed one dinner too many. Although, now that this business has been sorted out I should be one step closer to her good books."

Hermione saw Draco smile tightly.

"Well I'll leave you to your dinner. It was nice to meet you." He repeated and Hermione quickly mumbled a nice to see you too before she watched him walk away. She heard Draco's sigh of relief as his hand dropped off her shoulder and when he sat back in his chair she turned to face him, eyes flashing dangerously.

"I don't appreciate being put in that position Malfoy. What in Merlin's name were you thinking?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry." He replied in a tone far too casual for Hermione's liking.

"_You're sorry!_" Hermione repeated his words.

"Yes!" Draco snapped. Hermione moved back in her chair, suprised at the anger in his tone. "I'm sorry," he said again, more quietly and with more meaning.

Hermione felt her anger dial down slightly. It seemed Malfoy had just realised the flaw in his plan. Well it's nothing more than he deserves she thought harshly.

ooo

Draco rubbed his face with his hand, half in act to make out that he was sorry at the way he was acting and half in annoyance at the incessant talking Granger was doing. Merlin, where the hell was the letter from his parents? He glanced at his watch and saw he had a few minutes before it arrived. For fuck's sake.

Draco took in a deep breath. He should be thankful all had gone to plan. Merlin he was 50,000 Galleons richer, or he would be soon. After all he'd gone through, he could handle a few more minutes in Granger's company.

"I didn't think." He said quietly, falling into character once again.

He saw the anger in Granger's eyes being replaced by pity and sympathy and he bristled. Two more minutes Draco. Control yourself.

"Well you could just make out that we aren't together anymore. Surely now that Jennifer's uncle has seen you dating me, he'll change his mind about you?" she suggested.

Draco didn't say anything, content to just nod his head in answer.

For the second time that evening, silence fell between them. To Draco it was welcoming but by the way he could see Granger fidgeting in her seat, he knew that for her it was awkward. He made no move to change the situation. The waiter did it for him.

"Are you ready to order now?" he asked.

"Oh yes," Granger replied before she rattled of her order of Bocconcini salad to start with and the Mushroom Risotto for her main.

The waiter scribbled down her choices before turning to him. Draco swore in his head before glancing down at the menu. Where the fuck was the letter?

"I'll have the Crostini alla Fiorentina to start and the smoked salmon in grapefruit juice for main." Draco said, picking the first two things his eyes landed on in each section.

"Very good sir." The waiter said as he took both their menu's and left.

ooo

Hermione hated silences and the one that had descended on their table once again left her fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist. Questions popped into her head that would hopefully lead to a conversation but the look on Draco's face meant she didn't voice any of them.

Twenty seconds later and Hermione thought her brain was going to burst and she finally gave in, "So how's your new business coming along?" she asked.

Draco looked at her for a second before answering, "I've recently been able to secure the funding for it so I should think it's going well."

Hermione nodded her head, expecting him to elaborate but when he didn't, it was awkward silence number four.

"Blaise mentioned something about broomsticks. I don't really know a lot about Quidditch but according to Harry, it's time a new better equipped broom came on the market. How's the resear-" Hermione didn't get to finish her sentence as the waiter interrupted her.

"Forgive me but I have an urgent letter here for Mr Malfoy." The waiter said moving the tray carrying the letter closer to Draco.

She watched him open it and read it, gaining nothing from his masked expression. The waiter had said urgent. Did that mean he would have to leave? Was there really a saviour from the silences?

"Is everything okay?" Hermione asked him, a touch of hope making it's way into her voice.

"No," Draco replied and Hermione's heart leapt, "I'm afraid I will have to cut this dinner short. One of my prospective business partners is leaving the country unexpectedly tomorrow and so our meeting needs to be pushed forward to tonight. Forgive me."

"Oh no, that's fine." Hermione said, minutely sagging in relief.

ooo

Draco watched Granger's expression closely, expecting to find extreme pleasure at her disappointment. Instead he felt shock and anger as he saw her shoulders slump slightly and she let out a breath of air. Was the chit happy that their dinner was being cut short? He scoffed to himself slightly. No woman had ever been happy that he was leaving dinner early; Granger had to have been the first and he found himself angry at both himself and mostly her, for not enjoying his charming company.

"I will take care of the bill. The food is already ordered so please stay and eat." He said stiffly.

"Oh No!" Granger let out in a small yelp before a small ashamed smile made its way onto her face, "It's fine. If you're leaving I'll leave with you." She said before standing up and grabbing her purse.

Draco merely nodded before catching the eye of a waiter who quickly hurried over.

"I would like to cancel our dinner," he said before thrusting a bag of Galleons in the man's hands, "I trust this will be enough to cover our drinks."

The waiter nodded before walking away quickly.

The two of them walked to the entrance and once outside, they both quickly made sure to not fall into awkward silence number five.

"Well, I hope your meeting goes well." Hermione said.

"I'm sure it will." Draco replied.

"Thank you for inviting me out for dinner." Hermione said hoping that this time her words would seem dismissing enough for the two of them to go their separate ways.

Draco stuck out his hand and Hermione quickly moved her hand into his grasp. Instead of the shake she was expecting to happen, he shocked her by bringing her hand up to his lips again. A shiver went up her spine as he brushed his lips against her knuckles lightly and held her gaze. "It's certainly been fun. Thank you for playing along." Draco said before releasing her hand and apparting back home, leaving a mystified Hermione behind.

ooo

_29/06/2010 07:23 Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco apparated into the Manor's drawing room and immediately met the eager faces of his parents; even his father had an excited expression on his usually cold face.

"Well, how did it go Draco?" Lucius asked.

"Did he believe you?" Narcissa followed.

"Mother, Father, Mr Iudex said he will be in touch. I believe it will be sometime tomorrow where the actual handing over of the assets will take place. As of tomorrow, I will be 50,000 Galleons richer." Draco said.

The smile on Narcissa's face made her look like the beautiful woman she once was, instead of the empty woman she had become and Draco felt a tingle of warmth in his chest. She clapped her hands together in delight and moved forward to hug her son.

"Oh Draco!" she said.

Draco smiled and savoured the moment of his mother hugging him. It was a rare occurrence in a household run by Lucius Malfoy and every time the event did occur, he made sure to appreciate it to its fullest amount. It was short lived as not a few seconds later his father cleared his throat. His mother immediately moved back and Lucius stepped forward in her place. He placed one hand on Draco's shoulder before saying an inexpressive "well done." Draco looked his father in the eye and nodded his head in response. Once his business started making decent profit he would finally be free of the man.

* * *

_Author's Note: So Draco's dastardly plan worked and he's got his money. Fear not, more Deceit is yet to come! This is most certainly not the end of Draco and Hermione's relationship! Next chapter is Harry and Pansy's date but of course it isn't all smooth sailing. __Please review and Until next time, Curiositykils_


	10. Chapter 10

"_**We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger." Tad Williams (1957-present) **_

_30/06/2010 18:21, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco sat in his study going over the papers he'd just received from his disowned great aunt's lawyer. He had merely glanced over the papers on the cottage and as for the paintings; well he had no use for them. He planned on selling them as soon as he could get them valued. It was the money he was interested in. The lawyer had told him that as soon as he signed the handover papers, all the deeds and money would be transferred into his Gringotts account. Draco hadn't trusted the man's word and as soon as his signature was inked, he was stepping into the bank to check everything was there for himself.

For a moment, he had just stood inside his vault and looked around. Over the last few years he had visited it less and less. Staring at an empty room that plagued you with memories on what it once contained was not high on Draco's list of things to do. He had always been one for action. Whilst his father was the kind of man who roamed around aimlessly thinking of his past life, Draco was the kind of man who took steps in order to get that old life back.

Correction, he had taken the steps and it had worked. 50,000 Galleons sat in the corner of the room and even though the vault wasn't bursting at the seams with money as it previously did, once Draco took a few more steps it soon would be.

Draco heard the dinner chime and he made his way to the dining room, making sure that the papers were safely locked in his chest. He entered the room and saw that his parents, as always, were already seated on opposite ends of the table.

"I trust all is well?" Lucius asked Draco, referring to the Gringotts trip he had made.

"Everything is as it should be." Draco replied as he cut into his bread roll.

"That is good." Lucius said.

Draco deemed it unnecessary to reply.

"What do you plan to do with the paintings and cottage in France?" Narcissa asked him curiously.

Draco turned to his mother, "I have decided to sell the paintings but have not come to a decision on the cottage yet." He replied.

He had been to see the cottage in France and even though it was fairly small in Malfoy standards, he initially thought it would make a nice gift for his mother. He had dismissed the idea when he realised that his father would easily persuade his mother to sell the place. Draco now thought it might make a nice quiet place for him to go when he needed to get away.

"If I may make a suggestion?" Narcissa said. Draco nodded quickly. "The economy in France hasn't suffered in the way Britain has due to the war. It might be best to keep a hold of it for a few years and let its value rise before you consider selling it."

Draco was surprised at his mother's words but quickly admonished himself. He often seemed to forget that his mother had been in Slytherin too. "That is a wise plan mother."

Narcissa smiled and dinner was served. For the next half an hour there was silence at the Malfoy dinner table.

ooo

_30/06/2010 21:47, The Burrow, Devon_

Harry forced the wince not to show on his face as Molly gave him another rib crushing hug goodbye.

"Oh Harry, do pop over if you get time during the weekend. Seeing you once a weak just isn't enough to make sure your eating properly." Molly clucked.

Harry smiled at the older woman. "I'll try." He said.

Molly patted him on the cheek before quickly realising his hands were empty, "Harry dear, where's your doggy bag. Wait two minutes and I'll just grab you one from the kitchen." She bustled off before Harry could tell her there was no need. He was so stuffed his stomach was digging uncomfortably into the jeans he was wearing; he didn't think he could stomach the sight of anymore of Molly's delicious food.

True to her word, Molly appeared two minutes later, a large bag of food floating next to her head. He took it in his hands whilst thanking her.

"Oh don't be silly dear. You are family after all and if you don't take some, Ron will probably plough through it all and make himself even sicker that he apparently is already."

Harry laughed nervously before stepping outside the front door. Ron had decided not to attend tonight on account of him still being angry at Hermione from Blaise and Padma's party. Harry was unsure if this dislike extended to him but seeing how he'd had no contact with Ron since the incident as well, it seemed likely.

"Remember what I said won't you dear, about Ginny." whispered Molly.

Harry's smile faltered slightly on the sides but he found himself merely nodding his head at the woman he had come to look at as a mother. He didn't want to break her heart by telling her the truth.

"Good boy." Molly said before her attention turned to Hermione who was coming towards them with her own doggy bag floating beside her.

Once her and Molly had said their goodbye's (causing Harry to laugh at the look on Hermione's breathless face when Molly hugged her) the two of them started to make the short walk to the Burrow's boundary from where they could apparate.

"So I saw Molly talking to you earlier. She seemed to change the subject as soon as I came next to you. What was all that about?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed and to put off answering for a few more seconds, he took hold of the bag that was floating next to Hermione. "She told me that she got another letter from Ginny this morning. She's been asking about me."

"And what's Molly been telling her?" Hermione cautiously asked.

Harry scoffed, "The truth as far as she knows it. That I haven't been in a serious relationship with a witch in years and I've been waiting with baited breath for Ginny to come back from Romania."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, "Well, that is partially true." She said although Harry found it to be particularly unhelpful. "Did you tell her about your date with Pansy?"

Harry snorted in disbelief. "And break her heart by telling her that not only am I not interested in the happily ever after she has planned out for me with her daughter, I've instead decided to date a Slytherin whom she hates? Yeah right."

"You need to tell her." Hermione said as she reached to take her bag out of Harry's hands.

"You're being especially unhelpful today." Harry grumbled, voicing his thoughts.

Hermione laughed and bumped into his shoulder playfully. Harry resisted the urge to do the same back to her, knowing she would probably go flying off into the sunset at the small push.

"Your date with Pansy is soon. Don't you think that she would want to find out from you rather than read about it in the gossip pages of the Prophet?" Hermione reasoned.

As much as Harry hated to admit it, he knew she was right. "I'll tell her." He said.

"Okay, well I'll see you later." Hermione said, giving him a one hand hug and kiss before apparating away.

Harry was left standing alone in the green field. He turned back to face the way he and Hermione had just come and his eyes fell on the Burrow. Something in his chest panged slightly and he felt the first stirrings of guilt beginning to churn inside his stomach. His date with Pansy was in a few days time and as much as he wanted to make out that it was a normal date, he couldn't cover up the bare facts.

Either he went out on the date with Pansy, a witch who he was attracted to which in itself was something of a small miracle, at the cost of hurting the people he loved or he didn't go on the date with Pansy and he made himself miserable whilst he forcefully tried to make another go of it with Ginny and this time there wasn't any hurting his family.

Where was the win/win situation? Whatever he decided he would end up hurting someone. Harry shook his head in an effort to strengthen his resolve. He would go on this date with Pansy and he just wouldn't tell the Weasley's anything. After all, it was still early days in his and Pansy's relationship, there was no point in hurting them for no reason was there? Keeping quiet was the best thing for them.

Harry smiled before apparating away. There was the win/win situation he'd been looking for.

ooo

_02/07/2010 19:14, Diagon Alley, London_

Pansy walked through Diagon Alley, moving through the crowds that had been drawn out by the late evening sunshine. She kept her head down, hoping that nobody would recognise her, although it seemed everyone had more important things to be concerned about as she hadn't received one funny look yet. As she quickly walked down the streets, her legs unsteady in the stilettos that had once been her number one footwear, her eyes darted from name to name of the restaurants she was passing.

When Harry had asked her if dinner on Saturday night was okay for their date, she had immediately agreed. When he had told her that he planned to take her out to a restaurant called Juniper, he had said it in a tone that implied the restaurant was fancy and that she would hopefully be suitably impressed. Gearing herself up to tell him embarrassingly that she didn't have a clue that such a restaurant existed or where it was located, the questioning words had died on her mouth when he'd informed her that he would pick her up. The thought of Harry seeing the apartment she was living in caused a greater surge of embarrassment to flow through her and she had stupidly told him that she would meet him at the restaurant at the designated time. Only she didn't have a bloody clue where the bloody restaurant was.

She had been walking down Diagon Alley for the last ten minutes and her feet were killing her. She had forgotten just how long Diagon Alley was and just how unused to her feet were to wearing stilettos. Thank Merlin she had left early so she had plenty of time to search for the restaurant.

Her eyes were drawn from their position of looking at restaurant names when she felt herself bang into someone. Oh Merlin, please no, she thought to herself. Hoping that a simple mumble of I'm sorry would suffice, she made to walk around the woman but stopped when her name was called out.

Pansy turned around and her heart dropped to her stomach as her gaze landed on ex housemate and ex bully target Millicent Bulstrode.

"Merlin, it is you. Pansy Parkinson, I never thought I'd see you back in England." Millicent said.

"Millicent, how are you?" Pansy asked politely, desperately hoping Millicent wouldn't cause some sort of scene in revenge for her past actions.

"I'm good darling. And you?" Pansy saw the fake smile on Millicent's face as she spoke and her apprehension grew.

"I'm good too. A little lost but I'm sure I'll get used to Diagon Alley again soon."

Millicent smiled "sympathetically", "Oh I'm sure you will. Where are you going? I could point you in the right direction." She offered.

Pansy hesitated. She didn't want Millicent to find out about her date with Harry but telling her the name of the restaurant would raise her suspicions. Realising she had no choice Pansy answered.

Millicent's eyebrows rose, "Juniper?" she asked, making no effort to mask her incredulity.

"Yes, Juniper. Have you heard of it?" Pansy asked uncomfortably.

"Of course I have darling. Everyone has! They have a waiting list that's months long." She said, clearly expecting Pansy to divulge how she had managed to get a table.

When Pansy didn't speak she continued, "Well you must be doing more than good if you're eating in that establishment," she said cattily. Pansy felt the insult hit but forced herself not to rise. With another fake smile, Millicent informed her that the restaurant was two roads back from where Pansy had just been wandering.

"Thank You." Pansy said.

"Oh it was my pleasure darling." Millicent replied but she made no move to leave.

Pansy glanced at her watch, "I'm sorry but I really must be off."

Millicent lips twisted into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "Oh of course darling. Now that you're back we must do lunch. Owl me." She said.

Pansy smiled, knowing full well that they both knew there was never going to be a lunch occurring between them.

"I will." Pansy said before she gave one last smile and walked past Millicent in the direction she had just come from. She felt herself starting to sweat at the encounter she had just had.

During Hogwarts, Pansy had teased and bullied Millicent ruthlessly. At the time, Pansy had thought that it was the only way she could make it seem like she really belonged in Slytherin and not in Ravenclaw as the Sorting Hat had initially suggested. Millicent made the perfect target. She wasn't well endowed in the looks department, she was already teased by the boys in their house and she trailed after Pansy like a puppy dog regardless of how cruel Pansy was to her.

With a startle, Pansy realised that she had never actually apologised to Millicent for her actions. She stopped in her path and turned around, eyes scanning the crowd. Millicent it appeared was long gone and Pansy sighed. Maybe she should owl Millicent for that lunch. Yes that was the right thing to do- she would owl Millicent tomorrow and they could meet up for coffee. She didn't think her budget could stretch to lunch, especially since Millicent was likely to choose a restaurant in the same price band as Juniper. Tomorrow, Pansy vowed. Now however, she had to worry about dinner first.

ooo

_02/07/2010 19:33, Diagon Alley, London_

Pansy turned the corner and she didn't need to guess which restaurant out of the many on the road was Juniper. A gold leaf sign and the gaggle of reporters hanging around the entrance did that for her. She desperately looked around, hoping that Harry wasn't already waiting for her inside the restaurant. Merlin, did he know that the reporters would be present. Did he want to let the world know that the two of them had a date? Did he want her to get hate mail from fans telling her how she wasn't good enough for him?

A wild idea of turning around and running back to safety drifted into Pansy's mind but she quickly pushed it away. Her whole life she'd been running away from things when they got too tough. She liked Harry and she refused to stand him up. However, when her eyes landed on the reporters flashing away she hesitated. How in Merlin's beard was she supposed to get into the restaurant? She couldn't walk through them. They would rip her to shreds.

She looked at her watch and saw it was thirty-five minutes past the hour. She was already five minutes late; she needed to make up her mind and quickly.

ooo

Harry walked out of the back entrance to the restaurant. Pansy was five minutes late and instead of listening to the dark side of his mind that was telling him she had stood him up; he listened to the light side telling him that she might be stuck in the crowd of reporters. He hoped she wasn't, otherwise his plan of keeping their date a secret would be blown wide open. He walked down the street and turned the corner, his eyes landing on Pansy. She was standing seven steps up the road, staring at the entrance. Walking up behind her he smiled at the fact she hadn't stood him up.

"Having second thoughts?" he asked as he came to a stop behind her.

She immediately gasped and turned around to face him. "You scared me." She said.

Harry had the grace to look ashamed, "Sorry." He said not quite keeping the trace of laughter out of his voice.

Pansy narrowed her eyes at his tone causing him to chuckle.

"Where did you come from? Are you just arriving too?" she asked him.

He shook his head, "I've been sitting in there for the last fifteen minutes waiting for you to turn up." He joked.

"I'm only five minutes late." She replied.

"What are you standing out here for?" he asked her.

He watched a frown come across her face before she glanced behind her shoulder to look at the reporters and he saw her problem. Taking her arm and looping it through his, he started leading her to the back entrance.

"Aren't we eating there anymore?" she asked confused.

He looked at her in amusement. "We are. I just thought you might appreciate going through the well kept secret that is the back entrance." He said.

He saw her eyes widen slightly and she smiled.

ooo

As they entered the restaurant, Pansy had to force the gasp of amazement from escaping her mouth. It was beautiful and literally screamed money although everything was decorated tastefully. It had been so long since she'd been in such opulent surroundings that she felt quite nervous and embarrassed.

A waiter led the two of them to their table and if he or anyone else in the restaurant noticed who she was, they didn't show it for which she was extremely grateful. She smiled in thanks to the waiter who seated her before taking the menu he handed to her. Her hands absentmindedly rubbed against the leather cover as she looked around.

Her eyes fell on the front entrance and saw that the glass had been charmed so no-one could look in although the diners could look out. At that moment, a young couple rose from their seats and Pansy watched them walk not out of the back entrance but the front. The door opened and immediately there was a blast of light as cameras started flashing away. Pansy turned to look at Harry confused.

"If there's a back entrance that the reporters don't know about then why do people still walk through the front entrance?" she asked.

Harry's eyes crinkled as he smiled, "Well there are two reasons. Either they don't know about the back entrance which I doubt or they're looking for the reporters to take pictures of them so they can find fame in the tabloids."

Pansy's confusion deepened and she turned back to the entrance where the couple were now happily posing for the cameras. Her eyebrows rose at their actions. After being on the wrong side of the papers in this country she knew just how quickly they could turn on you. She couldn't believe people actually wanted that risk, simply for a few minutes of passing fame.

She turned back to Harry to see him looking at her. "What?" she smiled uncomfortably.

"Nothing. I'm just glad you accepted my invitation. You look beautiful." He said.

Pansy felt the blush on her cheeks and her smile unconsciously widened until she felt the pain in her cheeks. "Thank you. I'm glad I accepted too." As for the dress she was wearing, it was the only alternate one she still owned that he hadn't seen before. The other she had worn at Blaise and Padma's party and she was too embarrassed to wear the same thing again. The rest of her clothes she had painstakingly sold or were still at her uncle's house in France. That is, if her mother hadn't already burned them after she had left.

The fact that she had such little left made her feel as if she wasn't worthy to be sitting here. The thought dampened her mood slightly but she tried not to show it.

ooo

Harry saw Pansy's smile taper off in the corners. "Is everything okay?" he asked her cautiously.

Pansy looked at him like a deer in the headlights before she shook her head and her old smile returned, "Yes sorry. Everything's great, really. This restaurant is amazing." She said.

"You know I just realised that I don't actually know a thing about you other than where you work of course. How come you moved back from France?" he asked curiously.

He saw a look of alarm cross Pansy's features and mentally hit himself. He was just about to open his mouth to tell her that she didn't need to tell him when she started speaking.

"My mother and I moved to France straight after the War was won. You probably know why." She said tightly and Harry nodded his head, "I hated it. My mother and I were never that close and after the death of my father, even less so. We lived in my uncle's house which was unbearable. I finally had enough and decided to leave and come back to England."

Harry noticed that she didn't mention what had finally caused her to break but he didn't ask, merely filed away the information for later use.

"What about you? I would have thought you would have had enough of fighting You-Know-Who to become an Auror?"

Harry registered the fact she didn't say Voldemort's name but let it go. Even today, there were still people who didn't like to say his name. Instead he focused on the fact that she had been thinking about him. "And what did you think I would become?" he asked her teasingly.

He revelled in the blush that coloured her cheeks, "I don't know. You were a pretty good Seeker. Draco always used to whine about your skills in the common room after Quidditch games."

Harry laughed at the image that popped into his head. "I love Quidditch but I don't think I could handle anymore publicity than I already get. My ego would probably become insufferable." He laughed.

Pansy laughed too and he continued, "No, I still play. We often have frequent games at the Burrow."

Pansy's face glanced behind him and her expression fell. "Weasley."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed at the way she was suddenly acting and the expression on her face. "Yes, Ron's the Quidditch player. He's a good keeper."

Pansy shook her head. "No Weasley. He's here." She said her eyes fixed on something behind him.

Harry stiffened and begged her be mistaken. He turned around to face where she was looking. Damn, Ron's orange hair was unmistakable as he came through the door, a witch Harry didn't recognise on his arm. Harry watched Ron's eyes sweep over the restaurant floor and they finally landed on him before flicking to Pansy.

Angry wasn't the word to describe the look on Ron's face. He looked downright furious as he stalked towards their table. He heard Pansy taking in a deep breath and Harry braced himself.

"Harry, what the fuck are you doing?" Ron spat.

Harry grew instantly angry. "Ron, keep your voice down."

"Are you on a date with her?" Ron demanded. On the word her he sneered and jabbed a finger in Pansy's direction.

Harry sighed. It seemed the cat was out of the bag so he might as well tell the truth. "Not that it's any of your business but yes, I am on a date with Pansy."

"You bitch." He said loudly to Pansy.

"Hey!" Harry yelled.

"What are you up to? Huh? I hope you realise that nothing you have planned will break Harry and Ginny up." He said.

Harry shut his eyes at the words, desperately wishing he had chosen another restaurant to have dinner.

ooo

Pansy was frozen. Her body seemed to be stuck in her seat and her mind was completely muddled as if she was being held under water and everything she was seeing was in slow motion.

Harry…and Ginny?

She didn't understand. The buzzing in her mind showed no indication of stopping. Harry and Ginny. They'd been the golden couple in Hogwarts but she didn't have a clue they were still together. Why in Merlin's name had Harry asked her out? Oh Merlin, was this really a game of revenge?

Pansy's ears seemed to pop open unexpectedly. Shouting from both Harry and Ron hit her ears. She didn't need to glance around to see the entire restaurant looking at her. Waiters were moving over to their table quickly, hoping to put an end to the commotion.

Ron's harsh words still rung in her mind and the voice inside her head was getting louder and louder. What are you still doing here Pansy? Run. Run. Run.

So she stood and ran.

Ignoring Harry's cry of her name, telling her to stop and ignoring the various people that she bumped into on the way, she ran out of the back entrance and didn't stop until she was back on the main street of Diagon Alley. She drew comfort from the crowd in which she was losing herself in. Or so she thought.

A tanned hand grabbed her arm and twirled her around. Her eyes shut when they saw Harry's face and she turned her head to the side, taking in a deep breath before re-opening her eyes.

"Yes?" She asked him icily.

"Pansy. What Ron said isn't true." Harry said quickly.

Pansy looked him in the eye. "Then why did he say it?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "I-It's complicated."

Pansy sighed, "Look, my life is complicated enough without getting involved in some on/off relationship with you and your ex-girlfriend. Maybe this wasn't a good idea."

"No, please. Look, how about we go to the Leaky Cauldron and have dinner there. Tom won't let any reporters in so we'll be alone. I can explain things to you."

Pansy hesitated. They'd only been ten minutes into their first date and she had already been accused of being a home wrecker not to mention a bitch. How was this ever supposed to work?

"I don't know." She said, shaking her head.

Harry kept his hand wrapped firmly around her own. "Please. If you don't want to meet up after this then fine. I-I just need to explain. Please."

He was looking at her imploringly and she felt herself giving in. Oh Merlin Pansy, you need to stay away from things that aren't good for you she thought.

She ignored the voice. "Okay." She said slowly.

Harry's eyes lit up before he held out his hand for her to take it. She did so uncertainly and as if Harry knew this, he tucked her hand tightly against his body so she couldn't move.

"Ginny and I used to go out in Hogwarts. I broke up with her in our seventh year. It was too dangerous for me to be with her regardless of how much I wanted to. If Voldemort found out about us, he would definitely use her to get to me and I couldn't put her at risk."

Pansy nodded her head understandingly when he turned to look at her to see if she followed him so far.

He continued. "After the war was won, our relationship carried on from where we had left off. It was different though. We were both grieving." He paused before carrying on, "One day she packed up and left."

"Without telling you?" Pansy asked curiously. From what she remembered of the girl from her seventh year at Hogwarts she was fiercely, to the point of stupidity, courageous. Leaving out of the blue instead of staying and facing her demons wasn't a very Gryffindor thing to do.

Pansy ignored the fact that she herself had repeatedly run away from her demons. She was a Slytherin and they were known for their cowardliness so it was okay.

"Without telling me. I found a note where she'd explained that she couldn't stay in England anymore. She couldn't stay at the Burrow because everywhere she looked she was reminded of Fred."

"Where did she go?"

"Romania. Her brother Charlie works with dragons over there."

"Did you keep in contact?"

Harry gave a wry smile. "That's where it gets complicated. We've never written to each other but she didn't say whether she considered our relationship to be over or not. Even after she left I still loved her. I thought she'd be back in a few months so I waited. Then months turned into years and I don't know. You probably think it's stupid to wait around for someone who you haven't spoken to for years."

"No. You love her so you're waiting." The words caused her heart to beat painfully.

"Loved. Past tense. I've given up waiting for her." The pain eased slightly.

Pansy held off asking the question she desperately wanted the answer to when she saw they'd reached the Leaky Cauldron. Harry held the door open for her and she stepped inside. The old barkeeper looked up before catching sight of Harry and a smile graced his features.

"I'll be two minutes." Harry said to her before she watched him walk over to Tom and shake his hand. She couldn't make out their conversation but she saw Tom's eyes fall on her a few times during their discussion. Finally, Harry walked back to her and led her to a table in the back of the pub. When they were seated, Pansy couldn't control her mouth for any longer.

"What happens if she comes back?" she said nervously.

Harry smiled at her. "That's where it gets even more complicated."

Pansy's eyes widened at his words but she patiently waited for him to continue.

"Molly received a letter from her over a week ago. She's coming back. I haven't dated anyone in a long time, not seriously anyway. The Weasley's think I'm still in love with her and that when she comes back we'll just magically fall back into a relationship and live happily ever after."

"Why don't you just tell them how you feel?" Pansy asked.

"It's not that simple. They've wanted Ginny and I to get together for a long time. They already see me as part of their family but if I married Ginny it would make it official. Telling them would break their hearts."

"So what are you going to do when she comes back? Date her against your will?" she asked bewilderingly. She was struggling to understand where she fell into the equation. She liked Harry but she had no intentions of sharing him with another witch.

"I don't know. Now that Ron knows I think they'll pretty much know where I stand." He said quietly.

There was silence as Harry worried over his family's reaction and Pansy worried over whether she was making a mistake.

"This is depressing talk for a first date. Let's promise to not mention it for the rest of dinner." Harry said.

Pansy nodded her head in agreement. If he wanted to brush the problem away then she would let him. For now. She vaguely wondered if all Gryffindor's secretly belonged in Slytherin.

ooo

_02/07/2010 20:00, Daily Prophet Headquarters, Level 2, London_

A witch with a cat got the cream smile on her face made her way to the office of the one reporter she wanted to see.

"Is she in?" she asked the secretary sitting outside her door.

"Yes. If you take a seat I'll see if she's free to see you."

The witch sneered at the young girl. "You do that. And make sure you tell her that not seeing me would be a big mistake."

The secretary gave her a rude look which she ignored as she sat down in one of the chairs outside the office. Not a minute later she was given the invitation to enter.

The office stunk of perfume and tobacco smoke and the reporter behind the large desk watched her enter beadily.

"What can I do for you?" she asked haughtily.

The witch smiled before removing an envelope from her bag and throwing it on the reporter's desk. "It's more of a case of what I can do for you."

She watched as the reporter opened it and withdrew the photos before her eyes flew up to meet hers in disbelief. "They're real. All the details are there."

She moved closer to the desk. When the reporter made to gather the pictures she slammed her hands on them.

"I want more than my usual fee." She demanded.

The reporter sneered. "You'll get what you always get."

She smiled cruelly. "Not for this. This time you need me. Not the other way around. I want triple."

"You've already shown me the pictures, I can write the story easily." The reporter said.

The witch smiled before gathering up the photos herself and stuffing them back into the envelope. "I suppose I'll go elsewhere then. You know what they say. A picture's worth a thousand words." She turned to walk out of the office.

"Fine." Came the voice.

She smiled before once again throwing the envelope down. She watched as the reporter fumbled around her purse and took out her cheque book.

"Is a cheque alright?" she asked sarcastically.

"As long it doesn't bounce it doesn't matter to me. Money's money whether it's in the form of Galleons or paper."

The reporter looked at her in scorn before furiously writing out the amount. She ripped the cheque out of her hands as soon as the reporter had signed it. Folding it, she slipped it into her pocket. "I look forward to Monday's paper." She said before walking out of the office.

One down, one to go.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thank you to those who took the time to review the last chapter! I appreciated all of your kind and helpful words! Until next time, Curiositykils_


	11. Chapter 11

"_**Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened." Winston Churchill (1874- 1965)**_

ooo

_**EXCLUSIVE: Pandora Pansy's quest to corrupt our very own Harry Potter!**_

_Six years ago at the battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter (now successful Auror) triumphed over you know who for the second time in seventeen years to bring peace once again to the Wizarding World. The day that good overcame evil is a story so legendary that it needs no introduction._

_Another witch that needs no introduction is one who freely and selfishly offered our saviour's life in exchange for her own. Pandora Pansy (Parkinson) moved back to England from France a mere four weeks ago and the wicked vixen took no time in getting her claws into Witch Weekly's Number One Bachelor._

_Pictures (bottom right and next page) show the unlikely couple out for dinner at the stylish Juniper restaurant in Diagon Alley. Eyewitness reports state that Mr Potter and Miss Parkinson were seated at a cosy table for two however, it wasn't long before the duo were the centre of attention and the wrong kind at that._

_Mere minutes after being seated, Ronald Weasley (best friend of Harry Potter and brother to Mr Potter's ex-girlfriend Ginevra (Ginny) Weasley) entered the restaurant with date Gianna Levy (model for fabulous witch wear *ITCHES). Like many, he was driven by strong concern over Mr Potter's well being and tried to intervene but this reporter has it on good authority that his anxiety was unwanted. Heated words were exchanged between the two best friends, during which a rumbled Miss Parkinson took the time to flee from the scene._

"_It's like she had him under a spell." said Mr and Mrs Pumpernickel who were sitting two tables away from the volatile duo when the drama kicked off. Another eyewitness, who wishes to remain anonymous, supports this hypothesis by telling this reporter that "It looked like she had fed him Amortentia. He was acting very strangely."_

_The outcome of the drama remains unsolved after a clearly bewitched Mr Potter, ran out of the award-winning restaurant in search of Miss Parkinson. Harry Potter has not been seen since he left Juniper on Saturday evening and worries are growing over his safety. Wild theories on what tragic pain Mr Potter has since suffered at the hands of such a heartless witch have begun circulating, with rumours that the unforgivable Imperious curse has been cast over the boy who lived._

_All this reporter can hope for is that the Aurors are able to locate Harry Potter before he can be further harmed and that in the future, he is more vigilant against those who clearly wish him harm._

_For further information on the Battle of Hogwarts see page 6 and for the in-depth story on Harry Potter's relationship with Ginny Weasley see page 8._

_Hourly updates on the situation as it unfolds can be received by quik-e-message for a small price of 10 sickles for each message._

ooo

_04/07/2010 08:11 Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco scraped butter onto his toast and sipped the hot tea that had just been efficiently delivered to him by the Malfoy's newest house elf. Droopy had been packed off to Hogwarts (house elf waiting room) and Spinky had been purchased by Draco in replacement. His wages were higher than Droopy's but it was worth not having to wait ten minutes for a simple task to be carried out.

His eyes skimmed over the front page story of the Prophet and impatiently ran through the rest of the pages in an effort to find a newsworthy story that didn't mention the names Pansy or Potter. Merlin, the publication was heading downwards if they thought anyone cared about Pansy and Potter's date. Draco had seen the headline and sneered; why people would waste their time on reading such drivel was beyond him.

If Draco was quite honest with himself, he wasn't all that surprised that Pansy had gone after Potter. As much as she may have pretended in Hogwarts to only be staring at him from across the Great Hall because she hated him and was silently wishing up ways in which to maim him, Draco had known she was lying. A glazed look is not one usually associates with evil intentions. Just like Blaise, Pansy was soft and he'd often debated on whether the hat had teetered on the edge of placing the two of them in another house before marginally selecting Slytherin to better suit them. He himself, had been proud of the fact that the hat had barely touched his head before screaming out Slytherin. In his opinion, anyone who took longer than a few seconds to be placed in his house didn't fully belong there.

Although to be fair, Blaise had shown his Slytherin nature by running away and hiding in Italy with his mother when the war started to breach the walls of Hogwarts and Pansy had gone one step further by offering up Potter on a silver platter. Maybe they did belong in Slytherin after all, he mused idly.

Finding little else to occupy his mind within the paper, Draco slammed it down on the breakfast table in disgust and instead began to mentally plan through his day. He had another meeting with Mr Lufkin to get the permits for his business, which shouldn't take more than an hour maximum, then there was his appointment at Madam Malkin's to replace all his old robes with brand new ones then there was-

"Draco?"

Draco stopped and turned towards his mother. "Yes Mother."

Draco watched her glance at his father before continuing, "Your father and I were discussing your new business yesterday evening."

Draco raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He had been wondering when his father would stick his nose into affairs that had nothing to do with him. His last meeting was over a week ago. Frankly, Draco was surprised that his father had managed to wait this long.

"Setting up a new business in such a competitive field is very difficult, regardless of whether there's a gap in the market for you to take advantage of. The Malfoy name isn't all that…respected anymore," another glance at his father, this time an uneasy one, "and it could be problematic trying to persuade others to do business with you."

Draco had considered the problem that his mother was referring to but had seen fit to dismiss his momentary worry. His company would undoubtedly be successful and financial backers would be drawn to his money like moths to a flame. What was there to be worried about?

"I understand now that you've inherited the money from your disowned great aunt that there is no need for you to be seen with Miss Granger but think about the situation Draco. Being seen in a relationship with someone like Miss Granger would be great publicity for you and the business. People's opinions of the Malfoy name would change; after all, who would go against the opinion of Miss Granger?"

Draco considered her words carefully.

"Once the company has been established then you and Miss Granger would break up. I'm sure you could spin it to make it look like a civil break up." Lucius said haughtily.

Draco spent a minute going through possible scenarios whereby having Granger by his side would be invaluable. Not only would his name suddenly go back into the public good books but Granger was fairly attractive and unquestionably intelligent. She was the kind of woman that would make him look good in front of other business associates. There was also the fact that he enjoyed playing with her. Maybe it wouldn't hurt if he carried on using her for a little while longer.

Draco smiled. "I suppose you are right mother. Thank you for the idea."

Narcissa's face lit up. "So you're going to go ahead and start a relationship with her?"

"You could sound less enthused Cissa; the woman is still a Mudblood." Lucius drawled.

Draco watched his mother's face blank so it was devoid of emotion, though he could see the hint of anger in her eyes at Lucius's words. Draco knew Narcissa had never been all that into the pureblood mania like his father was and the fact that even now, in this supposed new world, he still made no effort to change his views, angered her. Over the last few years, Draco had slowly come around to his mother's view on things. Muggleborn's may not be the useless Mudbloods he had once thought them to be but they were still muggleborns and therefore slightly inferior to him.

After all, pureblood witches were dwindling in numbers and Draco hadn't yet found one that he wanted to repeatedly invite into his bed. Ultimately he knew that his wife, should he ever decide to marry, would be of pureblood lines but that didn't mean he couldn't sow his wild oats on a broader populace of females.

Returning to the matter at hand, he decided his mother's idea held merit and he would make the necessary arrangements to put it in motion this morning. He cleared his throat before taking another sip of tea in the hope of easing the tension that was suddenly pressing down on the room. When no-one spoke for the next three minutes Draco took one last bite of toast before standing to leave.

He didn't want to leave his mother alone with his father but he couldn't stand to be in the room anymore. Lucius sucked the happiness out of everything and everyone and Draco still seemed powerless to stop it, just like when he was younger.

"I best get ready for my meeting. If you'll excuse me mother," he said to Narcissa. He waited for her smile before ignoring his father and walking out of the room.

Checking his watch, he saw he still had a good fifteen minutes before he planned to leave. That was just enough time to pen a letter to Granger telling her that Jennifer was going to be at a party to which he had been invited to but a good friend had told him that she still found him to be unapproachable and therefore Draco would very much like one last helpful dinner meeting.

Surely Granger wouldn't begrudge him that? As for how he was going to get her into a relationship with him whilst supposedly being smitten with Jennifer Rouge, Draco decided to cross that hurdle when he came to it.

ooo

_04/07/2010 08:30 Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

Harry heard the tapping of the owl delivering today's Daily Prophet and moved towards the window to let him in. He absentmindedly took the paper from the owl's beak and searched his pockets for seven Knuts. Putting the coins in the pouch attached to the owl's leg, Harry unfolded the paper whilst making his way into the kitchen.

Before he glanced at the front page, he flipped it over to the sports section at the back. The Chudley Cannons had played a game against Puddlemere United yesterday and despite knowing the Cannons had won, Harry was looking forward to reading the blow by blow account of the match. Usually he would have been at the match to cheer Ron on but since their argument on Saturday evening, Harry had thought it best to avoid Ron in person. He had sent a letter asking him to please keep quiet about his and Pansy's date until he told the Weasley's himself. Harry hoped that the lack of response was Ron's way of reluctantly obliging.

After satisfying his curiosity on how the match had been won, he turned the paper over and his gaze landed on the huge caption that took up most of the front page. If he had been taking a sip of pumpkin juice he was sure to have spat it out or choked on it in shock. Instead, he settled for his heart skipping a beat and he quickly straightened the paper to read the article.

Oh Merlin, this was not good. How in Merlin's beard had they managed to take a picture of this? The picture showed him and Pansy inside the restaurant but as far as Harry could remember, Juniper had a strict policy on not allowing any reporters into the restaurant. How in Merlin's name could this picture have been taken?

Forcing his eyes off the picture, Harry lowered his gaze to read the rest of the ridiculous article and ridiculous it was. To think he had been slipped a love potion or that he had been kidnapped and was currently being tortured was ludicrous! Harry finished reading the article and his furious gaze searched for the small print of the reporter.

Of course. Rita bloody Skeeter.

Harry desperately wished that he had squished the beetle when he'd had the chance. Hermione's hope of Skeeter curbing her acerbic tongue in the year she wasn't allowed to write had been in vain. A year later and she seemed to be back with a furious vengeance. She had even gone as far as to register herself as an Animagus with the Ministry so she couldn't be blackmailed again.

Thankfully, it seemed less and less people seemed to read her rubbish anymore. Only this wasn't just a gossip column was it? There was a picture to go with the article as proof. A picture of him and Pansy.

Oh Merlin, Pansy! How was she taking this? Harry had been so taken up in his anger that he'd completely forgotten that out of the two of them, Pansy was the one who came off worse. He didn't have a clue where she lived and sending her an owl would take longer than seeing her at work in half an hour. He'd just have to wait and talk to her when she came in.

Harry's mind then went over who else would have read the paper and he groaned again. The Weasley's! If they didn't know how he felt about Ginny before then they definitely knew now! Harry could just imagine the hurt expression on Molly's face and he shut his eyes to block out the image. He would have to go over today evening after work and explain things to them. They deserved that much.

He sighed and re-opened his eyes. The paper was still in the same position in front of him and Harry immediately grabbed it and chucked it into the bin. Moving quickly into his bedroom, he grabbed his Auror robes and put them on before apparating away. Hopefully he would be able to talk to Pansy before everyone came in for the day.

ooo

_04/07/2010, 09:01, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

Pansy had her head bowed as she stepped out of the lift and onto the department's floor. It was partially due to habit, after all if her head was bowed then there was less chance of her catching someone's evil glare but it was mostly to hide the large grin that refused to remove itself from her face.

Ever since Saturday night and her wonderful date with a certain Mr Potter, the smile had been fixed in place and it hadn't wavered once. This was despite the slight pain in her cheeks and her numerous attempts at arranging her face in a more masked expression.

She couldn't wait to see Harry today. Various conversations had played out in her head on how she would act and what she would say when she saw him this morning. Should she let him make the first move? Should she initiate the conversation? Pureblood manners dictated that she act aloof but since leaving France, Pansy had made a vow to disregard everything her mother had taught her when she was growing up.

Her stomach fluttered nervously and instead of hating the feeling she welcomed it. She was _happy_. She was actually happy! She had left France for this very reason but she could have never believed that she would feel such happiness in such a short time. She didn't just feel happy…she felt giddy! Oh Merlin.

She walked to her desk and even the piles of haphazard papers lying in every which direction couldn't dampen her mood. She merely put her bag down and got to work, her mind once again replaying the events on Saturday evening.

ooo

_04/07/2010, 09:23, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

Twenty minutes later and Pansy was still ignorant of the glares and not so hushed whispers that were being directed to her. She was in her own little world and didn't realise that papers and files were being dumped on her desk with more harshness than usual.

It wasn't until a shadow fell across her and her nose smelt the cologne she associated with Harry and their date that she looked up.

ooo

Harry saw Pansy look up at him and the blinding smile she gave him was enough for him to momentarily forget the worry and slight anger he'd been feeling for the last hour. Harry shook his head to get back on track. Merlin, she had smiled at him like that a few times throughout their date but he still wasn't used to how different she looked from the surly pug faced girl he remembered from Hogwarts.

"Have you seen the Prophet this morning?" he asked her urgently.

He saw her smile falter at his tone and berated himself slightly at how rude he just was.

"No…" she answered as her eyebrows knit together in confusion at his tone. "Why?" she asked.

Harry gave out a harsh bark of laughter that caused Pansy to take a step backwards. "That Skeeter cow's written an article about us. She's got a picture of us inside Juniper and it's front page news." he informed her.

He heard her take in a quick gasp of breath and her mouth opened to say something but she ended up looking like a fish as no words came forth.

ooo

Pansy didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to think! How could this have happened? Merlin, they'd only gone out once and now the whole wizarding population in England knew about their date. What did this mean?

She wished she still had a subscription to the Prophet but it seemed like a waste of money when she could read someone's discarded copy in the tea room. If she had her own subscription then she would have seen the article before she'd come in this morning. Merlin, she wouldn't have bothered to come into work at all!

She took in a deep breath and asked the question she was dreading the answer to.

"What did it say?" she asked Harry quietly.

Her question seemed to infuriate Harry further because he practically spat out an answer. "It was all Hippogriff shit on how you kidnapped me or poisoned me with Amortentia. It's all complete rubbish."

There was silence for thirty seconds as Harry tried to control his anger and Pansy bit her lip in order to stop the barrage of questions she wanted to ask him; the silliest being whether or not they'd referred to her as Pandora Pansy.

She turned her head to the side and her eyes now saw the looks her colleagues were sending her. She quickly turned back and lowered her head in a practised fraction so her hair fell forward to cover her face.

Oh Merlin, why wasn't Harry saying something? What did this mean? She needed answers…not silence.

When it didn't seem like he was going to say anything she hesitated before speaking herself. "What are you going to do?" she asked him.

_Please don't leave me. _

"I don't know. I'll have to go and talk to the Weasley's tonight. They deserve to hear things from me rather than reading trash in the paper."

_That's not the question I was asking. _

Pansy nodded her head stiffly. "What are you going to say?"

_Please stand up to them._

"I don't know." Harry sighed.

_That's not the answer I was looking for. _

Pansy once again found her head bobbing in response to his words. "What about when they bring up Ginny?"

_Please don't go back to her. _

She saw Harry shrug his shoulders.

_Oh Merlin…_

"Auror Potter, have you seen the file that is being requested by the Chinese Auror Office?"

Pansy snapped out of her own thoughts and turned to face Kingsley. When her eyes met his, he gave her a small smile before moving his gaze to Harry.

She heard him clearing his throat from beside her. "I believe Auror Hastings had it last." He replied.

Kingsley nodded his head before glancing between the two of them. "I just received some information from the Australian Auror Office that might interest you." He said to Harry.

"Oh?" he said ineloquently.

Pansy took satisfaction at the blankness in his tone. He hadn't given her any answers to any of her questions. He deserved to have his thoughts scattered everywhere.

"The files are in my office." Kingsley said and with that he turned around and walked towards his office. She watched him walk away expecting Harry to follow him. When he kept his place next to her, she turned to look at him. She caught his eye and the stormy look in them caused her to immediately look away again.

"I'll send you an owl?" He suggested.

Pansy nodded stiffly and kept her face turned as he left her alone. He'd send her an owl? Is that all he was going to say to her? Her stomach fluttered again and this time there was no happy feeling to come with it.

ooo

_04/07/2010, 12:00, Flat 2, Above Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Pansy apparated into her flat and resisted the strong urge to crumple and break down now that privacy allowed her to do so. She dropped her bag and sat down heavily on the lone sofa in the stark room. As soon as she rested her weight on the soft material, her body seemed to have a mind of its own and in the next second she was curled up in a little ball as her head rested on the armrest.

Oh Merlin how had everything gone so wrong?

Today it seemed all the progress she had been making over the last two months was null and void. The looks and whispers were the same, if not more vicious than when she had first stepped into the Ministry on her first day at work. Everyone had just about been getting used to her presence and Merlin; she didn't even care if they ignored her unless they wanted something from her. It was better than the way they had acted today.

Whoever said kids were cruel had never been in her shoes. At least children outright told you they hated you. Pansy had to deal with everything occurring behind her back. Cowards she thought angrily. The lot of them were cowards. And Harry Potter was the biggest coward of them all!

Oh Merlin why did she agree to go on a date with him? She let out a small bark of laughter. Her mother was right. She attracted trouble and caused trouble wherever she went. In this case it seemed both were occurring.

She had never been so glad that it was finally lunchtime. That morning she had made her usual cheese sandwich because she knew how to make little else. She had stupidly thought that maybe Harry would invite her out to lunch and if he didn't, she would shrug it off and eat her packed lunch in her usual spot.

Well, Harry hadn't invited her to lunch and the thought of eating in front of a stand selling Daily Prophets in the Ministry's Atrium had caused her to rush to the ladies bathroom so she could compose herself.

Merlin, this morning her biggest worry had been where she was going to eat lunch and now…now she was wondering if she'd made the biggest mistake of her life in thinking she could do this. Live her own life how she wanted to. She couldn't stay in England if every day was going to be a repeat of today. It would be better for her to return to France. Back to her mother and the plans she'd been making for her life.

For the last three hours the alarm bell in the back of her mind had been ringing non stop.

Run. Run. Run. Run.

So far she had ignored them but in the desolate silence of her flat, the sound was louder than ever. Taking a deep breath, she righted herself and shifted slightly to reach for a piece of parchment and a quill. She quickly scribbled a letter to Kingsley and sent it through the floo.

It wasn't running away she told herself. She just couldn't deal with spending the rest of the day at work. She would take today to regroup and tomorrow she would be able to look at the situation with a clear head.

ooo

Pansy didn't know when she fell asleep but when she woke up, the sun was beginning to set. As she looked outside the window, it wasn't the sunset that caught her attention but the owls flurrying on the other side of the glass.

Who would be writing to her?

With slightly trembling hands, she made her way across the room and undid the latch. As soon as a fraction of glass opened, the owls instantly dropped their letters before scurrying away.

Pansy picked up the first letter in the pile and opened it. Inside was a picture of her and Harry from this morning's paper. Confused, she set the scrap of paper on the table and carefully reached inside the envelope for the remaining note. She had a horrible feeling she knew what these were.

YOU DON'T DESERVE A MAN LIKE HARRY POTTER. GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM WITCH. WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE.

Run Pansy. Run.

ooo

_04/07/2010, 12:17, Ministry of Magic, Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

"So is Blaise picking you up for a romantic lunch then?" Hermione asked Padma.

Padma looked up from the report she was working on to glance at Hermione, puzzled at her strange wording.

"Romantic lunch? No?" she said warily, wondering if she'd forgotten something. Her mind had been so caught up with Benji's recuperation from his recent illness that she'd had little time for anything else. Add to that the horrible way in which she was avoiding Blaise in order to ease her guilt, she very much doubted that a romantic lunch was on the menu.

Hermione seemed to find her confusion funny. "Ahh so it's a romantic dinner then?" she said with a knowing smile. "If you want me to look after Benji I'd be more than happy to." She offered.

"Mione I don't have a clue what you're talking about." Padma said with a smile.

"Your anniversary of course." She replied.

Padma felt like she'd been struck by lightening. Her eyes darted to the calendar on her desk and saw that today's date had been circled in pink. Oh Merlin…

"Don't tell me you forgot." Hermione laughed. "You and Blaise celebrate every anniversary with so much heartiness. Don't tell me it only lasts for four years! You're supposed to be giving me hope for when I meet someone who I can stand for more than a year."

Padma laughed half-heartedly. How could she have forgotten! Merlin, Hermione was right. Not once in the last four years had she ever forgotten any of their anniversaries whether it was a big one or a little one and now…today…she had forgotten the biggest one of all.

What was she doing? Why was she doing it? Merlin, Blaise deserved to be treated so much better than the way she had been acting around him recently. Disgust filled her and for a moment, Padma thought she was going to be sick.

No more she vowed to herself. She loved Blaise with all her heart. And tonight she was going to make sure he knew it.

ooo

_04/07/2010_ _17:03, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

Hermione stepped through her fireplace and swept down her robes. Crookshanks who had previously been dozing underneath the table, saw his owner had arrived and lazily uncurled his body before padding out to where she was standing. Hermione reach down and absent mindedly rubbed behind his ears as he walked through and around her legs.

Her eyes landed on a letter in her mail box outside her window and in her rush to get to it, she nearly tripped over Crookshanks. She was rewarded with a sharp hiss and a view of his tail as he walked away from her but her mind was still on the letter.

She had wanted to talk to Harry ever since she saw the article in the Prophet but when she'd tried to find him in her lunch break, Kingsley had informed her that she had just missed him. Down trodden, she had uncertainly asked if Pansy was busy. However it seemed that it just wasn't her day as Kingsley informed her that Pansy had taken the rest of the day off because she wasn't feeling well.

Crestfallen at the fact she didn't have any answers and had wasted most of her lunch break in search of her best friend, she had grabbed a quick sandwich and spent the rest of her work day hoping that Harry would have gotten hold of the letter she had sent him and a reply would be waiting for her when she got home.

She quickly opened the letter and was once again disappointed when she realised that it wasn't Harry's writing on the parchment. Her eyes dropped to the bottom of the letter and she froze when she read Malfoy's name.

What in Merlin's name was he writing to her for?

Her eyes went back to the top of the page and she read through his words, annoyance levels rising with each passing sentence. Merlin! She had only agreed to help him once as a favour to Blaise. She most definitely didn't sign on to become his blasted dating coach! She sighed as she reached his signature and then groaned out loud.

He sounded so desperate…No! She still hadn't entirely forgiven him for their last dinner meeting. She had helped him as much as she could and frankly, she didn't want to keep meeting up with him. She dug a quill out of her bag and quickly wrote a note back to him saying that she wished him luck with his endeavor but her work schedule was set to become incredibly hectic and it would be too difficult for her to take nights off in order to meet up with him. Hermione signed her name and studied the letter from all angles. That should be enough to put an end to this absurd idea he seemed to have gotten into his head.

With one last confirmatory nod, she dropped the letter into her bag and went to give Crookshanks his dinner.

ooo

_04/07/2010 18:13 The Burrow, Devon_

Harry stepped through the fireplace and was quickly assaulted by Molly's arms. She squeezed his body tightly and before Harry could reciprocate, she was already moving away from him. She didn't move far however and her hands lifted up to cup his cheeks.

"Oh dear. How are you? How was your day? We read that rotten article in the Prophet this morning. How that Skeeter woman can get away with writing such codswallop?"

Harry froze at her words. Merlin, did Molly think that this was one of Rita Skeeter's fictional stories?

Before he could ask her anything else, she had already turned around and started bustling away into the kitchen. Harry followed her nonplussed as he listened to her continued diatribe.

"One day that woman is going to get into serious trouble with one of her stories. Honestly…printing bare faced lies is one thing but manipulating pictures is another!" she said before turning over her shoulder to look at Harry who was now standing in the door jamb.

Mistaking the look on Harry's face as worry instead of confusion, she added a placating sentence. "Don't worry dear. Anyone who knows you well knows that the whole thing is completely absurd. Pansy Parkinson indeed. Merlin only knows what else she'll come up with next."

Molly turned her head back around and furiously began peeling potatoes. Harry watched the skins fly in every direction and he was struck still. This is what his life would be like. If he took the "easy" way out he would be stood here in ten or twenty years watching Ginny do exactly the same thing as her mother. The image had once filled him with warmth and happiness but he knew the truth now.

Did he really want Ginny or did he really want her family?

ooo

Molly moved onto peeling the carrots even though she was certain she didn't need them for tonight's dinner. She merely had to peel something!

Her anger hadn't abated and it was in fact building up to reach dangerous levels now. That complete and utter…bitch. Yes, there was just no other name for a witch such as Rita Skeeter. It was bad enough that she had to read her articles when her children (Harry and Hermione included) were at Hogwarts but to have her ruining their lives again was one step too far.

She was thankful that Ginny wouldn't hear about the news. Romania had their own newspaper and Charlie rarely bothered with the Prophet. Oh maybe that's why Harry looked so worried. She quickly turned back to face him.

"Don't you worry about Ginny dear. The chances of her catching wind of this whole debacle are very slim. You know how Charlie doesn't subscribe to the Prophet. And when Arthur gets home, he'll know what to do. Maybe one of his friends in the Magical Law Enforcement Squad will be able to put a stop to all this slander."

She watched Harry slump slightly and release a heavy sigh. "It wasn't." he said.

Molly's eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry dear?"

"It wasn't slander."

Molly laughed. "Oh Harry dear. Of course it's slander. It's not only Miss Parkinson's reputation that she's ruining; although I could care less on what that woman writes about that particular witch, but to ruin your good name with it!"

ooo

Harry heard her words and a flush of anger erupted inside him. What was it that Pansy had said to him at the party? She didn't want to go out with anyone who was ashamed to be seen with her. Harry had apologized for mistakenly letting her think that he thought that of her. Only isn't that what he was doing now?

Ginny had been gone for years and he was still very much a part of the Weasley family. He knew better than to think one went in hand with the other.

"The article's true. I did have a date with Pansy on Saturday night and no, she did not have to put a love spell on me and as you can see, there was no torture involved." He said.

He watched the carrot peeler fall from Molly's hands and it clanked on the wooden floor. Molly looked completely shocked at his words and Harry found himself standing straighter with his chin out, ready to take whatever reaction she might throw his way.

He was expecting anger and so when he saw her lower lip tremble and her eyes fill with tears, his body slumped again and his heart twitched uncomfortably.

"What d-dear? I- I don't think I understand."

Harry sighed, hating the fact that he had to say the words again and deliver a second blow.

"I went out on a date with Pansy."

"_Pansy!_" Molly screeched in a high pitched voice.

"I'm sorry Molly. I know how much you wanted me and Ginny to pick up where we left off but I don't think I can. It's been so long since we've last seen each other…" Harry tried to explain.

He was once again surprised at Molly's reaction when she gave out a short relieved laugh and began mopping at her eyes with her apron.

"Oh silly me! Of course you'd be worried about seeing Ginny again. Anyone would be. Like you said, it has been a long time since you've talked to one another. But you don't have to worry about a thing dear. She hasn't changed one bit and I'm sure when you see that then you'll realise that you've been worrying about nothing."

But I have changed Harry thought mentally. He opened his mouth to reiterate his point. "It isn't just that Molly. Ginny left me and she didn't get in contact with me. I'm not sure that I can get past that."

Molly moved towards him and reached out to touch his arm. "Oh Harry, I know how much she hurt you but is going out with that witch just to get revenge on Ginny doing you any good?"

Harry sighed. "I didn't go out with Pansy because I wanted revenge on Ginny. I know the reasons behind her leaving and I can't blame her for it. I just- I think it's too late for us. I think we both need to move on."

"But you will be moving on! Ginny's coming home soon! You can move on together!" Molly said doggedly with a clear hint of desperation in her voice.

Harry shook his head and removed his arm from under Molly's hand. "I'm sorry but I think it's too late."

The two stared at each other for ten long seconds, neither speaking. Eventually Harry decided it would be best to leave.

"I'm sorry Molly. I have to go home. I have some work that needs to be done for tomorrow."

Molly shook her head, still in shock.

"I'll see you on Thursday?" Harry asked hopefully.

This seemed to snap her out of her daze and she quickly rushed to assure him that he was still her son and she expected him to be at their weekly dinners. Harry gave her one last smile and hug before apparating away.

ooo

_04/07/2010, 18:29, The Burrow, Devon_

Molly watched Harry disapparate and she knew what she had to do. With a quick wave of her wand, she charmed the dinner to cook itself before hurriedly moving through the kitchen and into the front room. She quickly found an old quill and parchment and sat down to write an urgent note to her darling daughter.

Harry feared it was too late for the two of them and every day that Ginny was in Romania was another day lost for her to salvage this situation. Ginny needed to come home urgently so they could start planning on how to get Harry away from that witch's evil clutches.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Until next time, Curiositykils_


	12. Chapter 12

"_**The **__**arrogant**__** army will lose the battle for sure" Chinese Proverb**_

_05/07/2010, 07:53, Flat 2, Above Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Pansy Parkinson lay in bed. She had been lying in bed for the last thirteen minutes, willing herself to get out from under the comfort and safety of her duvet and face the world.

A minute later and she hadn't moved a muscle. Her right leg had twitched but nothing had come of it. Why? It was because at that particular moment, she had heard the now familiar sound of a flurry of wings landing on her windowsill.

Another owl bought yet another letter and she had given up checking and sifting through them in the hope of finding a letter from Harry. A pile of hate mail which had steadily grown over the course of yesterday evening was still on the wooden chair in the living room.

For some reason Pansy couldn't make herself throw them out. Instead, she had insanely spent the better part of yesterday afternoon re-reading the numerous letters in some kind of dark curiosity. It hadn't mattered that they all contained the same gist of wanting her to bugger off back to France. She had found some bizarre fascination in the various ways that people had found to word the same phrase.

At five-thirty, that fascination had suddenly turned into compressing depression and Pansy had silently got into bed and had remained there until now. She knew it was time to get up and get ready for work. She had already taken yesterday afternoon off and there was no way Kingsley would let her take today off too. And yet she still remained huddled under the blanket.

Pansy Parkinson lay in bed and she wished she'd never met a man named Harry Potter.

ooo

_05/07/2010, 09:06, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

Harry did another sweep across the department's floor and just like the last few times he'd carried out the action, he got the same result. Nowhere did he spot the shiny black hair that he was looking for. Where was she?

Spotting Kingsley talking to another Auror a few meters away from him, Harry waited impatiently until they'd finished their conversation before quickly moving in his direction.

"Auror Shacklebolt." Harry called out when he saw Kingsley make to walk in the opposite direction.

Harry jogged the last few steps towards him. "Have you seen Pansy today?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Miss Parkinson?" Kingsley queried.

Harry nodded his head. "Yes Pansy Parkinson. Have you seen her this morning?"

Harry watched as Kingsley did a quick sweep of the department's floor himself before his eyebrows drew together in a frown. "No I haven't seen Miss Parkinson this morning."

"Do you think she's still sick?" Harry wondered out loud.

Kingsley nodded his head noncommittally. "I suppose she could be. I haven't been in my office for a while. She could have sent a quik-e message which I wouldn't have received yet."

Harry sighed. If Pansy was taking the day off he wouldn't get a chance to talk to her. He'd meant to send her an owl yesterday evening after coming home from the Weasley's but in between taking a shower and working past the guilt he was reliving at seeing Molly's disappointed face, he'd completely forgotten.

It was only that morning when he saw that he and Pansy were still front page news, that he'd even remembered he'd made such a promise. Feeling like a complete idiot, he'd once again come into work early in the hope of talking to her.

"Auror Potter?" He heard Kingsley call out his name and he snapped back to the present.

"Sorry. I'll let you get on." Harry said.

He watched blankly as Kingsley nodded his head once in response before walking away into his office. At the click of his door as it shut, Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his messy hair in a vain effort to ease his agitation.

He supposed the only thing to do was to write Pansy a letter. If she wasn't planning on coming into work today then an owl, regardless of it not knowing where to deliver the letter, would be quicker than waiting to talk to her tomorrow.

Turning around, he walked to his desk wondering how everything had got so messed up.

ooo

_05/07/2010, 09:27 Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

"Do you have the outline of the first two weeks on the Vampire migration schedule?" Hermione asked Padma.

Padma shuffled the papers on her desk before spotting the blue folder and handing it over to Hermione.

"Thanks." Hermione replied. "Are you planning on telling me how yesterday went or should I guess from the smile that you can't keep off your face." She teased.

Padma's smile widened. "It was great. Perfect. Just a quiet evening with Benji. Blaise got me a day's ticket to Brocklehurst's Beauty Spa for Friday so I've booked the day off." Padma's smile leveled off. She hadn't been able to get a present for Blaise due to the late hour she'd had to leave the office and despite his insistence that he didn't need anything but her, the guilt had started bubbling away.

Which was why today when she went shopping to get Benji some new clothes, she planned on getting a little something for herself and giving Blaise a proper present. Preferably a present he would enjoy all night long. Padma smiled at her plan. She would get their relationship back on track if it was the last thing she did.

On the subject of underwear, she realised she still hadn't thrown away the bundle of letters she'd stashed in her underwear drawer. She promised to incinerate them as soon as she got home.

ooo

Hermione smiled at the look on Padma's face and once again her heart twanged wistfully at the family image that came to mind at her friend's words. Shaking her head to get rid of the final wisps of longing, she got back down to work.

To have a family you needed a husband. To have a husband you needed a boyfriend. To have a boyfriend you needed a date. Something that Hermione had been missing for quite a while. Maybe it was time to get back in the game?

ooo

_05/07/2010, 09:11, Flat 2, Above Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Pansy woke up from her broken sleep as she heard the faint knocking on her front door. Lifting her head out of the warm cocoon she had surrounded herself in, her mind swam for a few seconds before settling back in place. Registering that the knocking was still continuing, she forced herself out of the bed.

"I'm coming." She shouted from her room. The knocking stopped. Pansy pulled a dressing robe around her now cold form and shuffled towards the door.

It was only when she was about to unclick the lock that she realised she didn't know who it was. Her rent had been paid a few days ago so it couldn't be her landlord. Hesitating at what to do, Pansy glanced around the room uneasily and her eyes landed on the stack of letters on her desk.

Realisation was a cold flood as it moved through her, causing her to shiver as she moved away from the door quietly. It couldn't be them could it? How had they even found out where she lived? This wasn't exactly the nice part of Diagon Alley. People avoided it as best they could after the war.

The knocking started up again, causing Pansy to jump at the loud noise and her heart started thumping wildly.

Oh Merlin, they already knew she was in here from her shout. What did she do? Maybe if she ignored them for long enough they would just give up and go away?

"Pansy?" came a deep baritone voice.

Pansy frowned as her mind recognized the voice and the absurdity of the situation.

"K-Kingsley?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yes it's me." Said the voice from the other side.

Pansy breathed in a sigh of relief as she made her way once again towards the door in order to let Kingsley in.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him as he stepped into the front room.

She watched as he surveyed the surroundings silently, making no comment or passing any judgment at the sparse space. Despite everything he'd done for her, this was the first time he was seeing her apartment and she shuffled from one foot to the other in embarrassment.

"I believe the better question would be what you are still doing here?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to send you a message that I wouldn't be in today. I must still be sick from yesterday." She lied.

As she said the words she slowly moved towards the chair in an effort to hide the letters from Kingsley's gaze. She knew from the first step she took that he realised she was lying and his eyes swept to where she was moving to and landed on the pile.

Once again, he said nothing and the only indication that he'd seen the letters was a small lift of his eyebrows. Knowing he had seen the letters, Pansy gave up all effort to hide her actions as she practically flew towards the chair and scrunched up the letters, shoving them into the pockets of her robe.

When she was finished, the two stared at each other silently. Pansy was reminded of the few hours after the War at Hogwarts had ended and Kingsley had come in search of her for questioning. When he'd found her sitting by the oak tree next to the Great Lake, they'd looked at each other silently in a way not dissimilar from now. Pansy still felt as if his deep gaze was seeing through her body, allowing all her feelings to be laid bare before him.

She knew she was right when she saw his eyes turn sympathetic.

"You can't stay hidden in here forever Pansy." He said in a wise voice.

"I-I'm not." Pansy replied in a hoarse voice. She didn't want to face the world yet and she knew that's why Kingsley had come.

"I thought you didn't want to be seen as the cowardly Slytherin anymore?"

His words struck her hard. "I don't." she said fiercely.

"Then hiding out in here is not the best way of going about that, is it?" he cajoled.

"I'm not hiding…I'm waiting…I'm waiting for things to die down."

"You have done nothing wrong." He stated with such strength that for a second Pansy believed all was well in her world. "Going on a date is not the end of the world."

Pansy scoffed. "It is when you went out on a date with the boy who lived. The boy you offered to you know who." She said bitterly.

"Nothing came of your words." He said quietly, his brown eyes piercing her own.

"That may have been the final judging of the Wizengamot but others don't see it that way."

"Then show them that you don't care what they think. Act the way you did when I first offered you the job and you came to work at the Auror Office. If you show them that you don't care, then they'll soon stop and forget you."

Pansy didn't respond.

"Take the morning off and get ready. I expect you to be at work at 12:30 sharp." Kingsley stated in his no nonsense voice as he made his way to the front door.

Pansy merely nodded her head in defeat and only managed a quiet goodbye as he left her apartment.

ooo

_05/07/2010, 10:02, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco Malfoy was angry. No, he wasn't just angry. He was furious. His fist crumpled Granger's letter into a small ball in his palm before he chucked it into the burning fireplace.

The chit had refused him. She had refused him! It was unbelievable. Outrageous.

Who did she think she was? Draco seethed internally.

How was he supposed to get her on a date with him now?

The bloody witch had brushed him- Draco Malfoy- off. As if he was a speck of lint on her robes.

For fuck's sake.

ooo

_05/07/2010, 12:27, Ministry of Magic Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

Pansy held her head high as she meandered through the numerous desks belonging to the Auror's before reaching her own. With fierce determination, she took off her coat and minimized her handbag before slipping it into her skirt pocket. Settling herself into her chair, she got to work on straightening the pile of paperwork on her desk, resolutely ignoring the stares she could feel being directed to her.

Slowly, her ignorance of the situation worked as she felt the noise level rise back up to it's usual din. Mentally congratulating herself, she allowed some of the tension to leave her stiff body at the small victory. Letting out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding, she shook her head slightly and refocused on the papers in front of her.

Twelve minutes later and the only thing on her mind was whether Harry had spotted her yet. Or whether he had spotted her and turned around in the opposite direction to avoid her. Pansy wondered how his talk with the Weasley's had gone yesterday. At their dinner- she was no longer willing to call it a date after it caused such a disaster- Harry had told her that he would stand up to Weasley's.

However saying the words and carrying out the action were two different things and after the way Harry had talked with such love about his adopted family, Pansy doubted he would be willing to stand up against them. Especially not for her.

She scoffed slightly. She had been right. All Gryffindor's were secretly cowards.

"Pansy?" said a voice from behind her.

The tension made its way back into her body and her shoulders stiffened at his voice. Merlin, she was so occupied with her inner rant she hadn't even heard him come up to her. Masking her face into one of detached aloofness, she turned around to face him.

"Harry, what can I do for you today?" she asked with cold politeness.

ooo

Harry flinched at her tone. It wasn't any more than he deserved but the reminder of his accidental mistake shamed him.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked quietly before looking around and meeting curious gazes from other departmental staff, "Preferably somewhere more private." He added.

"I'm working." Came the short reply.

Harry looked into her eyes beseechingly and was met with a cold blank look.

"It won't take long."

"I'm afraid I have too much to do." She retaliated.

Harry heard his annoyance ebb into his next question but could do nothing to hide it.

"Tonight then? After work."

"I'll be staying back to cover the hours that I missed this morning."

Damnit. How was he supposed to apologise if she wouldn't give him the time of day?

Making up his mind, his hand came to wrap around her limp wrist before he proceeded to drag her into the only vacant area he could see. The elevators.

"Potter- what? What are you doing?" Pansy whispered furiously as she tried in vain to wrench her arm from his hold.

Harry loosened his hold so he wasn't holding her so tightly in the hope she would stop struggling. If she carried on, she would probably do more harm to herself than him.

"I don't think Kingsley would mind you taking a few minutes break." He stated as they both stepped into the lift.

"I mind! People are staring at us!" Pansy said, her voice hitching in embarrassment.

Harry ignored her and turned to look at Dennis. "Mind if I use your lift for a few minutes?" he asked Dennis in a voice that indicated no was not an option.

"Of course not mate." Dennis replied quickly as he stepped out and hit the button for the doors to close.

Harry gave him a quick smile before turning around to face the irritated witch beside him when the doors pinged shut. He let go of her wrist and mumbled a quick sorry to which he received no vocal answer. A sneer was enough to say all words necessary. He ignored it.

"I talked to the Weasley's yesterday. Well I talked to Molly since she was the only one at the Burrow when I went there."

Harry saw Pansy fight her curiosity for a few seconds before she gave a grudging "And?"

He smiled. "She'd seen the paper and she thought that Skeeter was making the story up."

That caught her attention and Pansy turned to him with wide eyes. "She didn't believe it?"

Harry shook his head in answer. "Nope, although she did when I told her that it was true."

Pansy eye's widened further. "You told her it was true?" she whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, I told her that we went out on a date."

"What did she say?" Pansy asked.

Harry hesitated. He didn't want to bring up the idea of him harboring secret feelings of love for Ginny no matter of how untrue the idea was. He also didn't think that bringing up Molly's other idea on how this was all revenge on Ginny was the best way to go either.

ooo

Pansy saw the hesitation in Harry's face and the hope she had started feeling, dashed away a little.

"She wasn't pleased about the idea but I think she accepted it for what it was." Came his reply.

Pansy bit her lip before asking her next question. "And what exactly was it?"

Harry's emerald gaze seemed to pin her in place and she felt the breath whoosh out of her chest at the intensity. "It was a date. A successful date in my opinion. Look Pansy, I'm sorry I didn't send you an owl as soon as I got back from the Burrow. I completely forgot and I have no other excuse. Let me take you out to dinner again-my treat." He said referring to Pansy refusing to let him pay for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. "This time maybe somewhere in Muggle London would be better." He added with a smile.

"You want to go out again?" Pansy asked blankly. She had spent the better part of yesterday and this morning learning how to act unaffected by his obvious regret at asking her out. She was struggling to contemplate this new scenario.

"Yes. I had a good time. Didn't you?" He asked.

Pansy swallowed the excited shriek in her throat and her lips twisted into a smile. "I did."

"Then you'll go out with me again. My treat." He repeated in an effort to coax her.

She laughed and nodded her head. "After the caveman stunt you just pulled I should think it's your treat." She teased him. Merlin, she was comfortable teasing Harry Potter! Life was good again.

"Sorry." Harry said shame faced.

Pansy smiled at his apologetic look and shook her head. "It's fine." And what was more, she did think it was fine. Even though she'd been annoyed at what he was doing, deep down she'd been excited at his actions.

Merlin, he had dragged her off into an elevator with the whole of the Auror Office looking at them. If that didn't show them how much of a willing participant he was on their date then nothing would!

ooo

_05/07/2010, 14:49, Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Padma couldn't contain the loud burst of surprised laughter that came out from her mouth at Hermione's words.

"You want me to set you up with someone?" she asked outrageously.

Hermione's eyes widened at the loudness of Padma's words before she made shushing motions with her hands. "No. I don't want you to set me up with someone…just- point me in the right direction."

"What happened to Miss- I- have- no- time- to- date- right- now- and- all- men- are- arrogant- self obsessed- pigs?"

"You can't take what I said after Zacharias's date seriously. I was annoyed that he'd spent the whole time talking about himself whilst simultaneously staring at my breasts." She shuddered as she remembered the seedy, hungry look on his face before she'd finally had enough and left.

"It's been months since your date with him."

"Exactly."

Padma raised her eyebrows. "Okay, if you're serious I'll check and get back to you." A look of contemplation came across her face, "Actually I think Theo and Mandy broke up."

Hermione frowned. "Theo? Theo Nott?" she asked. She remembered Theo from Padma's dinner parties but she hadn't exchanged two words with him. He didn't seem like a man who liked to talk. In fact, she remembered being surprised at the pairing of him and Mandy- the latter who had been openly chatty with Hermione.

"Yep. Not interested?" Padma asked.

"I don't think he's really my type." Hermione replied. She tended to require intelligent conversation on her dates and not awkward silences.

"I guess it's a good thing. I think Mandy's hoping he'll finally be able to work up the courage to tell her how he feels."

"Work up the courage?"

"It seems Theo isn't really one for unnecessary talking. Or in her words, talking all together."

"I don't understand." Hermione said.

Padma laughed. "According to Mandy, on the few dates they went on, he barely said anything more than monosyllabic answers to her questions."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Didn't he ask her out?"

"Yeah, that's what got Mandy so confused. If he asked her out then he must like her but then they go on dates and there's nothing. He barely shows any interest."

"Sounds like he's got-" Hermione stopped speaking. She had been about to say it seemed like he had problem dating. Just like another Slytherin she knew.

"What's wrong?" Padma asked.

Hermione shook her head and laughed. "Nothing. So Theo Nott is out of the question but if you know anyone else…"

"You'll be the first to know." Padma promised.

Hermione smiled and nodded her head in satisfaction. One step at a time.

ooo

_09/07/2010, 19:41, The Burrow, Devon_

"So Harry, I didn't think you'd go so far to get your tanned face in Prophet. What? Witch Weekly not enough?" George teased Harry as they filled their plates for dinner.

Harry smiled at the red-head who was blatantly ignoring the sharp looks from the rest of his family.

"Very funny." He said.

"So, Pansy Parkinson huh?" Bill asked curiously.

Harry sighed and prepared himself for the inquisition that was just starting. He was thankful that they were getting it over at the beginning of dinner. Hopefully then the whole evening wouldn't be ruined.

He felt Hermione poke him in the ribs and he realised he hadn't answered yet. Clearing his throat he spoke, "Yeah, Pansy."

"She iz a very nice girl Harry." Fleur interjected when no-one spoke.

Harry's eyebrows rose as he turned to face the part-Veela. He hadn't expected support to come from anyone but Hermione and especially not Fleur.

"You know her?" Bill asked his wife.

Fleur shrugged in a noncommittal gesture, her pale hair catching the setting sunlight and momentarily blinding Harry.

"I met 'er when we were at Hogwarts. She waz very nice to me."

"Probably because she wanted to be friends with a Triwizard Champion." Molly said viciously.

"No. We met at ze library. She 'elped me find ze book I waz looking for." Fleur replied.

There was silence as everyone at the table digested this information.

"It doesn't erase what she did at the Battle though does it?" Ron said from the other end of the table.

Harry turned to look at his best friend with disappointed eyes. "She only said that because she was scared. It was years ago Ron. You need to let it go. I have."

Ron's response was to stuff his face with mashed potatoes. Harry heard Hermione's quiet snort of disgust at the action before she spooned some green beans onto her plate.

"So what was the date like?" This time the question was from George.

"It was a date. A fun date." He replied as he gently nudged Hermione's full spoon of green beans away from his own plate.

"So you're seeing her again!" Hermione asked excitedly as she froze in her actions. "You didn't tell me that."

Harry smiled. "Yes I'm planning on seeing her again."

"But-" Molly yelped. Everyone at the table turned to look at her but she didn't finish her sentence.

"If Harry is happy then I don't see a problem." Arthur said in his calm voice that said the topic was now closed.

"I agree." Bill added.

Harry nodded at the both of them in thanks before his eyes landed on Molly's face and his smile dropped.

Would Pansy ever be accepted into this family…his family? Would he be willing to give up the Weasley's if it came to that?

The answer was one that he pushed out of his mind. It hadn't come to that yet. Merlin, they were only going out on their second date. There was still a long time to go before things got that serious.

ooo

_10/07/2010, 20:03, 3 St James Wood, London_

Padma heard a giggle over the soft music playing in the front room and as she lifted her head off Blaise's shoulder, she heard the muffled thumping of Benji's footsteps across the floor.

"Sounds like someone's out of bed when he shouldn't be." She said.

Blaise shifted slightly in order to lower the volume of the music and the two of them listened quietly to see if Benji was still up and about.

Two seconds later and they heard another thump.

"I'll go and put him back in bed." Blaise said as he extracted his arm from around Padma's body and stood from the sofa. Leaning down, he placed a searing kiss on Padma's lips. "Don't move." He said with mock warning.

Padma smiled at the dark look in his half-lidded eyes. "I won't." She promised as she raised an eyebrow up at him in innuendo. She laughed out loud as Blaise growled before making his way upstairs.

ooo

Blaise did a quick sweep of the second floor of the house, peeking into Benji's bedroom and shaking his head at the empty bed, before making his way to the next floor and into his and Padma's bedroom.

As he stepped in through the partially open door, it was to find Benji on the floor as he rifled through Padma's underwear drawer.

"Benji? What are you doing little man?" Blaise asked as he crouched down next to the little boy.

"Daddy! You can help me! Mummy and me went shopping and I got these jammies. See." He pointed proudly at his new Quidditch nightclothes with a small finger, "And Mummy said that she was going to get some new Mummy jammies but she wouldn't let me see. I want to see Mummy's new jammies. Does hers have brooms and snitches too?" he asked innocently, unaware that the silky sheer negligee he had just carelessly discarded over his shoulder were Padma's new "jammies".

"You know you aren't supposed to be out of bed and rummaging around our room." He admonished gently.

"But Daddy, I just wanted to see Mummy's new jammies. She wouldn't let me see." Benji pouted.

"I think it's time you get yourself back into bed don't you?" Blaise said as he looked around at the mess Benji had created. Nearly every piece of underwear Padma owned was scattered around the room. Blaise caught sight of some of the more risqué pieces he'd bought her hanging from the mirror and he quickly moved to pocket them.

"Sorry Daddy." Benji said quietly.

Blaise moved back to him and crouched down low once again. "It's okay little man." He said as he hugged Benji. "Go on, go to bed."

He smiled as Benji skipped off to his bedroom and started to pick up the garments on the floor. It took him a few seconds to move all the pieces back into the drawer once he'd accioed them.

That only left some pieces of parchment a few feet away from him. He moved towards them and saw that they were addressed to Padma. Why would she be keeping old letters? He moved to pick up another envelope and found it to be empty. Looking around he saw its contents lying by the foot of the bed. Walking towards it, he bent down and lifted the parchment, his eyes falling to the bottom in order to see who the letter was from.

The name registered in Blaise's mind and it wasn't even a millisecond later that anger surged through him. His eyes lifted to find the date and he nearly roared at what he found.

WHAT? How could she do this to him? After everything he had done? He thought-

"Blaise?" he heard Padma call up from the foot of the stairs.

Without thinking he stuffed the letter back into the drawer and slammed it shut.

ooo

Padma waited for Blaise to come back downstairs. Things had been quiet for sometime after she'd seen Benji climb down the stairs to go back to bed. She was beginning to wonder what was holding him up.

She had taken the first three steps up the stairs when she heard him moving around. Assuming he was close to coming back down, she smiled and moved back into the sitting room, grabbing the bottle of wine from the mantelpiece as she passed it.

Settling herself into a comfortable and inviting position on the sofa, she waited for him to return.

After a full minute had passed, her confusion at where he was rose again. Placing her wine glass on the table, she made her way to the foot of the stairs.

"Blaise?" she called again softly.

She waited for an answer but none came forth. He mustn't have heard her.

"Blaise?" she called out again, slightly louder.

There was still no reply and Padma started to make her way up the stairs.

Her first stop was Benji's bedroom but in the darkness she could make out her son sleeping in his bed. No Blaise.

Her eyebrows coming together in confusion, she walked up to the third floor of the house and into their bedroom. Only to find it empty.

"Blaise?" she called out again.

Realising that he wasn't in the bathroom, Padma's gaze swept the contents of their room before she saw a broken piece of parchment on her vanity table.

Moving towards it, she instantly recognized Blaise's handwriting.

_Work emergency. Will be back very late. Don't wait up. Blaise. _

Padma simply stared at the short sentences and the abrupt words. Something was wrong- she could tell from his note and the fact he hadn't said goodbye.

Why hadn't he said goodbye in person?

Looking around the bedroom for any other clue as to where he could be or what was wrong she found nothing.

It was with an uneasy feeling that she got under the cold covers of her bed and waited for Blaise to come home.

* * *

_Author's Note: So the truth outs- well for Blaise at least. You my lovely readers will have to wait until I write the next chapter to find out the truth. Thank you for reading and until next time, Curiositykils  
_


	13. Chapter 13

**_"The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them." Ralph Nichols_**

_10/07/2010__, 21:30, Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Pansy hurried down the side street. Her head was bowed low and she kept her eyes firmly on the grocery bags in her hands. Merlin…how she hated living here. If it was this horrible in the summer twilight then she shuddered to think what it would be like when winter arrived in a few months and darkness fell by five.

Ignoring a few suggestive whistles from the opposite side of the street, she gritted her teeth and quickened her pace.

The first thing she was going to do when she'd saved enough money was to connect her fireplace to the National Floo grid. The second thing she was going to do was find a nice apartment in a nice area of London with nice neighbors.

Pansy smiled wryly and mentally scoffed. Dream on Pansy, she thought to herself. Kingsley had been generous enough with her salary but he had a departmental budget to stick to. He also had to answer to the Minister of Magic. Pansy was sure he was already wondering why a woman who had no NEWTs or experience was getting a higher salary than the previous witch who'd held the position for over twenty years.

Unless she changed jobs, which was something she wasn't comfortable doing at this particular moment in time, she would probably be saving for oh- around ten years. Ten more years of living in this hell hole she mused as she stared up at the Silver Serpent Bar's entrance.

Sighing, she heeded to the optimistic voice in her head telling her that anything was better than France. With that in mind she pulled the door open. She had never been in the bar this late before, always making sure that she slipped up to her flat before the main crowd came in. Therefore she was unprepared for the acrid smell of sweat, cologne and smoke that hit her nose and made her eyes water.

Keeping her head down, she started to meander through the crowd whilst looking as inconspicuous as possible. Apparently it wasn't inconspicuous enough as she had barely made it halfway through the bar before a large body blocked her path. Looking up, she saw an older bearded man swaying lightly on his feet in front of her. A cigarette hung limply in his stubby fingers.

"Well hello sweetheart." His voice was heavy with suggestion.

Pansy ignored him and made to walk around him. He blocked her path. She made to walk around the other way. He blocked her path.

"Now sweetheart. You haven't even let me buy you a drink."

"I'm quite alright without one thank you." She said the words in a frigid ice queen tone, hoping it would put him off.

Unfortunately he seemed to take her words in the wrong way. "Well I suppose a drink would just be delaying the inevitable." He moved closer and Pansy smelt the firewhiskey on his breath. His hand clamped down on her wrist and she immediately jumped backwards. Her movement made her bump into another customer and she heard his drink spill.

Oh Merlin…

"What's going on?" the disgruntled patron demanded.

"Oh I'm sor-" Pansy began to say before she was cut off.

"She's a little feisty." Said the leering man.

Pansy gave him a look of disgust which judging by his angry reaction, he didn't take very kindly. His fingers wrapped around her arm in an iron grip and he squeezed painfully.

"Let me go." She said furiously.

"Now, now. Calm down kitten."

Pansy was about to repeat the words when they were wrenched out of her mouth by a familiar voice behind her.

"Let her go."

The man's hold loosened instantly. Pansy twisted and came face to face with Blaise.

"Blaise?" she asked dumbly.

Blaise stepped forward and wrapped a comforting arm around her waist. The move made the other man back away.

"Sorry mate - didn't know she was taken." He said placatingly, his arms open in apology.

Blaise's voice was as cold as ice. "Then I suggest you check better in the future before situating your hands where they have no place to be."

The old man wasn't the only one who shivered at his tone. Gone was the joking tone Pansy always associated with Blaise. He sounded hard and dangerous. It was no wonder the man took off in the opposite direction.

"Are you okay?" Blaise asked her in a softer tone than she had just heard him speak in.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry." She replied.

"You have nothing to apologise for. What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I live in a flat upstairs." She answered.

Blaise gave a stiff nod before steering her towards the back end of the bar where the stairs to the upper floors were located.

"What are you doing here?" Pansy asked Blaise. This wasn't the kind of bar she would have thought he frequented.

Blaise gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I've had a bad day."

"Oh?" she said as she opened her front door. "Want to talk about it?" she offered, praying he would take her up on her suggestion. It would be good to have a friend again. She hadn't spoken to him since his dinner party.

She saw him hesitate before he spoke. "I'm sure you have better things to do."

"No I don't." Pansy said quickly then froze in embarrassment at her obvious desperation. "I'm me remember. What else am I going to be doing on a Friday night?" she added lightly.

Blaise smiled his infamous smile and stepped into the flat after her. Unlike Kingsley, he took one look at her apartment and froze.

"You live here?" he asked incredulously as he moved his head from side to side.

Pansy chuckled uneasily. She had forgotten about the fact that he would be seeing her apartment if he came inside. "It's not as bad as it looks."

Blaise turned to face her with raised eyebrows but thankfully didn't push it further.

"So what's on your mind?" Pansy asked as the two of them moved to the sofa.

As soon as Blaise sat down his whole body seemed to slump. "It's Padma."

"Did you guys have a fight?"

Blaise let out a harsh laugh. "No. A fight I can take. A fight I can handle. A fight I know how to fix. This…This is something I can't do anything about." He shook his head morosely.

Pansy said nothing and waited for him to continue.

"I found some letters that Padma was hiding from me. They were from Anthony Goldstein." Blaise spat the name out.

Pansy vaguely remembered that he and Padma had briefly dated in their seventh year. But surely a few old letters weren't enough for Blaise to get this upset over?

"He's been writing to her. She's been writing to him…behind my back. I just-I can't believe it. After everything we've been through together. I thought we we're a family and suddenly-. How could she be writing to him for Merlin's sake? After what he did?" he asked her frustratingly.

Pansy didn't know what he was talking about and so she had no answer. "Why don't you start from the beginning?" she said softly.

Blaise dropped his head into his hands and dug his fingers into his scalp. "Benji isn't my son."

Pansy knew the words were true. You only had to take one look at Benji to see that. His skin was lighter than Padma's tan and a lot lighter than Blaise's chocolate.

And then it clicked. Anthony.

"Anthony is?" she said.

Blaise nodded. "He had Padma went out for a while in Hogwarts. After the Final Battle she had to go to St Mungo's and she found out she was pregnant. Goldstein wanted nothing to do with her. Having a kid didn't fit in with his ambitious career plans. Her parents didn't want anything to do with her either."

Pansy gasped. She could remember Mr and Mrs Patil from parties she'd had to attend before Hogwarts. They adored their two daughters but especially Padma. She was the quiet, studious daughter compared to her twin's outspokenness and brash personality. She couldn't ever imagine Mr and Mrs Patil wanting nothing to do with her.

"She'd had sex before marriage, was pregnant out of wedlock and Goldstein wasn't Asian. Her parents disowned her and threw her out of the house."

Pansy sat stunned. "But she was pregnant." she said shocked at their actions.

"Three months pregnant. She had nowhere to go, no job, hardly any money and no-one to help her. Her friends were grieving the loss of their family members so she couldn't ask them for help, even though they would have given it. She and Parvati pooled their savings and managed to rent her an apartment in Muggle London."

Blaise broke off and smiled lost in his memories. "I saw her at Flourish and Blotts when I went to pick up a book my mother wanted. She'd managed to get a job there and her back was turned away from me but I recognized her hair. I'd always liked her at Hogwarts but nothing had ever happened. I went up to ask her out when she turned, I ended up bumping into her stomach!" Blaise chuckled.

Pansy smiled at the image.

"I was so shocked that I was about to hit on a pregnant woman that I practically ran out of the bookshop. I'd only been back in England a few days and so it took me a day or two to figure out her situation. In the end, I made out like I needed a roommate and since the rent was cheaper than where she was living, she moved in. It was strictly friends at first. Yes I was attracted to her but she was pregnant for Merlin's sake and I was nineteen. I definitely did not want anything to do with kids."

Which was strange Pansy thought. He was such a natural when it came to Benji.

"But after a few months, things started to change. Before Benji was born we went out on a few dates and it was great. When Padma was in labor, the Healers at St Mungo's assumed I was the father and I was surprised at how much the thought didn't fill me with dread. I was the first person to hold Benji after he was born and I knew that this was it. I either got serious or I left. So I got serious. We've been together ever since. We've been a family. Benji's my son damn it and now-"

"Now Anthony's back in the picture." Pansy finished.

"He has no right. He left her for fuck's sake! Pregnant and alone. And Padma's been _writing_ to him behind my back? I just- I feel so angry that she could do this to me."

"Did you talk to her about it?"

"No." he sighed. "I saw the letters and left."

Pansy took a while to consider her words. "Look- Benji's lived with you ever since he was born. To him you're his Daddy. You're the one who's played with and looked after him. Anthony coming back into the picture isn't going to change that."

"What if it does? Benji may think I'm his father and I might think he's my son but no amount of wishing is going to change the truth. When Padma moved in with me and her parents found out…It made things a hell of a lot worse. They would rather she be with fucking Goldstein than live with a man who wasn't her baby's father. In their eyes, she was being spiteful and bringing shame onto the family. I know Padma. She and Benji are my world but deep down she's still that same eighteen year old girl looking for her parent's acceptance."

Pansy nodded. She could relate to that…and what it meant for Blaise. "You're worried that she's going to leave you for him."

Blaise nodded. "I know it's stupid. She loves me. I know that. I'm just angry and hurt that she's been talking to him- writing to him- behind my back. Why didn't she just tell me unless she's thinking of leaving me?"

The two sat on Pansy's worn sofa and contemplated the situation silently.

"I should go." Blaise said as he stood suddenly, breaking the silence.

Pansy stood up after him. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Blaise replied.

From the flare of his nostrils Pansy could see he was still angry.

"I'll know when I get home."

Pansy nodded her head.

"Thanks for this."

"No problem. If you ever need someone to talk to I'll be here to listen."

"I think I'll be taking you up on that. I don't really have that many friends that I can talk this over with."

"On the subject of friends. Guess who I ran into the other day?"

Blaise gave her a confused look but said nothing. "Millicent. She suggested we have lunch."

"Wow. I haven't thought about her in a long time. It looks like Goldstein isn't the only face to pop up from the past."

"I guess not."

"Thanks again for this."

"It's fine. Go home and talk to Padma. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for why she hasn't told you about the letters. She just probably doesn't want to worry you."

Blaise nodded before apparating away. Sighing, Pansy closed the door.

ooo

_10/07/2010__, 22:37, 3 St James Wood, London_

Blaise chose to apparate into the downstairs living room. He needed a few minutes to calm himself before he saw Padma. He had half a mind to go up to her and demand answers. The other, sadistic half wanted to say nothing and wait to see how much longer she carried on lying to him.

Blaise sighed as he made his way upstairs. Hopefully she had found his note and decided to heed his advice of not staying up. Hopefully things would be a lot better if they dealt with this in the morning, after a good night's sleep.

Before making his way to his own bedroom, Blaise made the mistake of peeking into Benji's bedroom. Seeing his innocent face as he slept caused a renewed force of anger to wash through his body and he had to take in a few deep breaths to stop black spots invading his vision.

Goldstein was a fucking bastard. He'd made his choice five years ago and given all this up. Benji and Padma were his family now and he would be damned if he'd let Goldstein just waltz back into the picture and take them away from him.

They were _his_ family damnit.

He opened the door to the bedroom and saw Padma sitting up in bed, flicking through some work she'd brought home with her. She looked up at him and he saw how pleased she was that he was home in both her smile and eyes.

"You're back." She smiled as she closed the folder she was reading.

She was his damnit.

And suddenly the only important thing in the world was making sure she knew that. He ignored her statement and stalked towards her. He saw her mouth open to ask him a question and he bent down and kissed her.

It was a hard kiss. Blaise was pretty sure her lips would be bruising but he couldn't bring himself to stop. If Padma was confused at the situation, she didn't show it. Apart from her initial gasp of surprise, she arched willingly into him as he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her to him.

Her T-shirt was discarded in a matter of seconds before Blaise replaced his lips on hers. She hadn't been wearing a bra and his hands were free to run up her back and over her breasts. He felt her nimble fingers undo the last of his buttons and start to push the shirt off his body. He didn't relent his kiss and so she struggled for a few seconds before giving up and running her hands over the area exposed.

Blaise growled at the warmth of her little hands and his palm moved to cup her bottom. He pushed her lower half against his ever growing arousal. Grinding against her twice, he then yanked down her pajama shorts. The harshness of his movement also pulled her knickers down and she was left naked in front of him.

He moved back from her lips and stared. Her breasts were heavy and straining towards him. He wanted to take her hard and fast. He wanted to bite and suck on her body until he'd marked here in some way. The thought caused him shame and he knew he wouldn't be able to do anything if she carried on looking at him in the way she was right now.

Both his arms wrapped around her waist and he lifted her up. Her legs slipped out of the clothes and he shifted until the two of them were kneeling in the middle of the bed. Allowing himself one last kiss, he lifted her up and turned her around. Her back was now flush against his front and his mouth moved next to her ear.

"Put your hands on the wall." He growled.

Padma instantly carried out the action and she was braced against the wall.

Blaise made quick work of unbelting his trousers and kicking them away. His erection sprang free and he slid it between Padma's open thighs. Lips clamping down on her throat, he remained still whilst he sucked hard against the sensitive skin. He didn't stop until an angry red mark appeared. Blowing air to cool it, he felt Padma shiver and tilt her hips towards him.

With a quick movement, he pushed himself into her. Padma gasped at the action and Blaise managed to control himself and allow her a few seconds to get used to him before he moved back out and pushed back in, burying himself fully into her warm body.

"Oh Merlin Blaise." Padma moaned.

Blaise slid his right arm from her hips up to her breasts. His following ministrations earned him another pleasure filled moan.

"You're mine." He growled against her ear before clamping down on the end and biting more gently than he thought possible at that moment. His actions got faster and wilder until he was thrusting into her without abandon. Skin slapping against skin.

He could feel a familiar tightening in his stomach and he clenched his teeth. Not yet.

"Say it." He growled again as he cupped her left breast. Fingers dug into her hips to keep her still and in place against him.

Padma's back arched against his body. "I'm yours. Oh Merlin Blaise." Her head fell onto his shoulder and he saw her face. Her eyes were shut and her mouth was open in a silent scream.

Even though her face was tight with pleasure, Blaise felt the first tingling of shame build up in his chest. This was the first time he'd ever treated a woman so roughly. He was just about to stop and slow his actions when he felt Padma's walls clamp down around him. The tiny vibrations and pulses caused the tightening in his stomach to increase and his body started acting of its own accord.

A few more thrusts and he joined her in climax. Blaise buried his head in the back of her neck as he rode out of the waves.

Thirty seconds later and when the two of them had finally slowed their breathing down, he moved out of her.

Padma slumped sated in front of him and laughed before turning around.

"Not that I'm complaining but what bought that on?" she teased lightly.

When he didn't answer, Padma tilted her head to the side in question and her black hair shifted. The purple bruise on her neck came into view and Blaise's eyes latched onto the mark. He had done that, he thought numbly.

To others it may have just looked like a normal bruise but with Padma's tan skin, he'd never left a mark on her body during sex before. He was well aware of his strength and knew how far he could go with the opposite sex. The usual strength of his actions had caused marks to appear on the previous lighter skinned women he'd slept with. But never Padma. How hard had he bitten?

His gaze swept over the rest of her body and he saw the faint markings of his fingers on her hips.

"Blaise?" he heard Padma murmur questioningly.

Blaise looked into her eyes and in the midst of confusion, he saw love shining back at him. He tumbled onto the bed next to her and brought her closer to his chest.

"I love you." He whispered.

Padma kissed him lightly on his chest.

"I love you too." She replied.

ooo

They made love once more and this time Blaise made sure it was making love and not a simple fuck. He made sure he was slow and gentle. When they'd come to a climax for a second time, he wrapped his arms around Padma and watched her go to sleep against his shoulder. He allowed her trust in him to ease the guilt and shame inside him.

He hadn't yelled at her or demanded answers. He would wait and see how long it was before she told him the truth.

ooo

_11/07/2010__, 07:45, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco looked up when he heard the knock on his bedroom door. As he stood up from his chair, his mother slipped in quietly.

"I was just about to come down for breakfast." He said to her.

"I wanted to talk to you." She replied.

Draco raised his eyebrows at the fact she wanted to talk away from Lucius but he said nothing. Narcissa walked over to where he was standing and sat down in one of the chairs. Draco resumed his own seat.

"Do you remember a few months ago when I mentioned I was considering getting in touch with your Aunt Andromeda?" The lightness of her words betrayed the seriousness of the situation.

Four months ago when she had first told Draco her idea, his first thought was how his father would definitely not be happy. He had debated talking his mother out of it but she had seemed so excited about something for the first time in so long, he had kept quiet. When she hadn't brought it back up, Draco had thought she had decided against it.

"I remember." He replied.

Narcissa shifted slightly in her seat. "Two days ago, I sent her a letter asking her if we could meet. She replied back this morning. It appears she's free tomorrow afternoon."

Draco leant back in his seat. When he said nothing, his mother carried on talking.

"She's managed to arrange some babysitting for your little cousin for a few hours and she wants to meet in that time."

"Are you planning on meeting her?" Draco asked.

Narcissa turned her head up and looked at him with wide eyes. "Do you think I should? It- It's been so long since I've seen her. Or talked to her. What if she wants to meet me so she can tell me to leave her alone?"

"She replied back to your letter and arranged babysitting for a few hours. That doesn't seem like she wants to tell you to leave her alone. You won't know unless you go. Do you want to meet her?"

Narcissa hesitated. "Your father won't be happy with what I'm planning." She said quietly as she shook her head.

Fuck him. Draco angrily thought in his head.

Outwardly he sighed. "That wasn't what I asked. Do you want to meet her?"

"…Yes. She's the only family I have from before I married your father. Despite everything that's happened, I've always thought of her as my sister. Even if we don't meet again after tomorrow…at least I'll have had the chance to see her."

"Then you should meet her."

Narcissa shook her head, "Your father…"

"My father what mother? This has nothing to do with him." Draco said angrily.

"Of cour-" Narcissa began to say.

"No it doesn't. If Lucius had his own way then he would control us for the rest of his life. You owe him nothing. I owe him nothing. In fact, after everything that he's done, I would say he owes us. He's the one who fucked up our lives."

"Don't swear in my presence Draco. And don't speak about your father that way. He did the best he could." she admonished.

Draco snorted in disgust. What would it take for his mother to see Lucius for what he was?

"He did the best he could? I suppose the best was making his sixteen year old son take the Dark Mark so he could get into Voldemort's good books. I suppose the best was making his family live in terror when he invited Voldemort to set up base in our home. I suppose the best is living as a recluse and dragging us down with him because he can't face admitting he was wrong. If that's his best then I would have preferred if he'd done nothing!"

"Draco!" Narcissa gasped as she raised a pale hand to her mouth.

Draco gritted his teeth and looked away, breathing heavily.

"Face it mother. Everything he's done has put us in the position we are in today. If you want to meet Andromeda tomorrow then you should go." Draco took in a deep calming breath when he still saw the hesitation and fear in his mother's eyes. "I can tell him that you have a society meeting if he asks."

Narcissa took a few moments to think about it before she slowly nodded her head in agreement.

"Good. Now I think we should go to breakfast." Draco stood and held his arm out for his mother.

She smiled and stood.

When the two of them reached the dining room, Lucius was already sitting at the head of the table.

Draco sat down in his own chair and reached for the tea. He had barely taken his first sip when Lucius spoke.

"How far are you in getting that woman to date you?" he demanded.

Draco purposely took another slow sip and reached for two slices of toast before answering. "I am making progress." He lied.

In fact, he had practically hit a dead end.

Granger clearly did not want anything to do with him and he was running out of time before his first investor's dinner party in a few days. He had resorted to hiring a man to follow Granger around so he could inform Draco of when she was alone in a public place and Draco could them "coincidentally" apparate there too.

He knew his actions were bordering on the wrong side of stalkerish but since Granger wasn't coming to any harm, then he figured it was okay. So far though, he'd had no luck. The witch went to work in the morning, came home in the evening and didn't leave. The one time she had left, it was to go to the Weasley's. He could hardly coincidentally be there could he?

The witch had no life.

Damnit.

ooo

_11/07/2010__, 18:34, 3 St James Wood, London_

Quik-e-message from Padma Patil to Hermione Granger

Hey Mione, I know it's late notice but I was wondering if you would be able to take Benji tomorrow?

_11/07/2010_ _18:44, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

Quik-e-message from Hermione Granger to Padma Patil

Sure, I've got Teddy coming over in the afternoon anyway. Is everything okay?

_11/07/2010__, 18:52, 3 St James Wood, London_

Quik-e-message from Padma Patil to Hermione Granger

Oh no, everything's fine. I just think me and Blaise could do with spending some time alone together. He's been acting a little strange today- says there's been a work emergency which is distracting him. Hopefully I can get him to relax tomorrow!

_11/07/2010_ _18:44, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

Quik-e-message from Hermione Granger to Padma Patil

Well, it's no problem. You can drop him off at nine? Is that okay? And good luck with the de-stressing!

_11/07/2010__, 18:52, 3 St James Wood, London_

Quik-e-message from Padma Patil to Hermione Granger

Nine would be great. Thank you so much! See you tomorrow.

ooo

_12/07/2010_ _13:07, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

The doorbell rang and Hermione quickly wiped the icing from the hands on the dishcloth.

"Teddy's here!" Benji squealed lightly. His little face was lit up with excitement and Hermione smiled at his twinkling eyes before moving to open the door.

When she did open it, it was to find a nervous woman and a half hidden child. Hermione smiled at Andromeda before giving Teddy a larger, warmer smile.

"Hello Teddy." She said brightly.

Her response was a shy smile.

"Would you like to come in?" Hermione said to the two of them.

"Only for a moment. I'm running a little behind on time." Andromeda replied.

Hermione stepped out of the way and they both walked in.

"How have you both been?" Hermione asked as she sat down on the sofa.

Andromeda took a seat and Teddy quickly sat down next to her. "We've been good, haven't we Teddy?" she said to the small boy.

Teddy's hair turned red and he quickly nodded his agreement.

"Have you eaten lunch yet?" Hermione asked him.

Another shy nod. "Well Benji and I just started icing some freshly baked cookies and then since the weather's good, I thought we might go to the park. If you're really good, I think we could do a quick stop at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor."

"Oh that sounds good, doesn't it Teddy? You'll have fun for sure." Andromeda said before turning to face Hermione, "Thank you so much again. I won't be any later than five I promise." She said as she stood up.

"Oh don't worry. I've got Benji until seven so take as long as you like."

At that moment there was loud clatter from the kitchen followed by a quick yell of Aunty MG. The two women looked at each other and laughed.

"I guess that's my cue to go." Andromeda said.

Hermione smiled and opened the door. "I'll see you later." She said before Andromeda apparated away.

Hermione closed the door and turned to face Teddy who was sitting on the sofa looking at her expectantly. She gave him another warm smile. "I suppose we better go and see how much of a mess Benji's been making in the kitchen, don't you?" she said lightly.

Teddy nodded but didn't move off the sofa until Hermione held out her hand for him to latch onto.

As she walked into the kitchen and surveyed the damage done by Benji, she couldn't help but wonder on how different the two boys were, despite being only a year apart. Benji took one look at Teddy before running over to his side and dragging him off to where he'd been decorating the cookies. Teddy barely had a second to act introverted before Benji had thrust a bare cookie and an icing tube at him.

Teddy looked at the icing tube unsurely before looking back up at Hermione. He held out the tube for her to take.

Hermione walked over to him and crouched down until she was at his height. "Don't you want to decorate the cookies?" she asked him.

"I might mess it up." He said quietly.

Hermione glanced over at Benji's cookies which had pictures she could no longer discern before she looked back down at Teddy. "You can't mess it up. If you want to scribble all over it, that's okay with me. They'll still taste yummy!"

Teddy still looked unsure. "Look at Benji's cookies. I'm sure you can't be any messier." She whispered quietly.

Teddy giggled before smiling up at her and getting to work, his head furrowed in concentration.

She shook her head and waved her wand to clear up Benji's mess on the kitchen floor before grabbing her own cookie to decorate.

ooo

_12/07/2010_ _14:47, Oak Park, London_

Hermione settled herself against a large oak tree and watched Benji eagerly rummage through the game bag she'd bought along to entertain the two of them. Dumping a pack of Exploding Snap cards on the quilt, his eyes took in the Muggle football and he grabbed at it excitedly.

Dean had taught him the rules of the Muggle sport and Benji had picked up the basics. With a "Come on Teddy," from him and a "Don't go too far," from her, she watched them run a little away from her and she smiled as she saw Benji eagerly demonstrating how to kick the ball to Teddy.

Reassuring herself that they were busy with their game, Hermione pulled out some files from work and got stuck in. It was only when a shadow fell over her file that she looked up.

"Malfoy?" she asked shocked.

ooo

Draco allowed himself a small smile at the stunned look on Granger's face.

"Hermione. How are you?" he asked pointedly and politely.

He saw her mouth open but no sound came out. A second later she seemed to have taken hold of her senses and she quickly stood up to meet him.

"I'm good thank you. How are you?" she asked back.

"Well, thank you. Fancy running into you here." He said before looking around. He had to force himself to keep a happy look on his face. Of all the places he could get her alone and it had to be the bloody park.

"Um yes." She laughed nervously, "I wouldn't have thought I'd ever run into you here. You don't strike me as a park type person." She said.

Draco snorted internally. No fucking kidding.

"I like to spend time outdoors when the weather is agreeable." He said.

He saw Hermione eye his heavy black robes and mentally berated himself. "I have a cooling charm in place." He said in answer to her unvoiced question.

"Oh." Hermione smiled.

There was silence for a few seconds. Draco watched her shuffle uncomfortably and revelled in satisfaction. The witch had blown him off after all. She could suffer a few more moments of uncomfortable silence before he made his move.

Her eye caught his and she smiled nervously. "Do you mind if I join you?" he asked.

He didn't give her anytime to answer before he'd moved around her and into the shade of the tree. Non-verbally Scourgifying the quilt she had been sitting on and the surrounding area, he enduringly sat down.

Granger seemed to stumble around for a moment before giving up and sitting back down next to him. He glanced over her papers and seeing the word vampire coming up in every other sentence, deduced she was doing work for her Ministry job.

In order to get a conversation started he asked her how it was coming along.

"It's going good thanks. We're getting a little too close to the deadline for getting the funds we need but hopefully something will come through that will allow us to go forward with the research in Transylvania. Otherwise…well there's always next year!" she finished lightly.

She needed investment for her project. Why hadn't he known this information earlier? It fit in perfectly with his plans. Only before he could ask her to join him for his investor's meeting to see if anybody would be interested in backing her project, he was interrupted by two boys who suddenly appeared by her side.

"I'm thirsty." One of them announced loudly. He vaguely remembered the boy from Blaise's dinner party. He didn't have a clue to whom the other one belonged to.

"I've got some juice in the bag. Come and sit down and take a rest." She said to them.

These kids were with her? When Stanley had informed him that Hermione was in the park, he hadn't mentioned anything about children being around.

Blaise's kid sat down cross-legged on the quilt next to his feet and started sucking away loudly on his juice carton. Draco shifted his legs away from the boy. He had just bought these Italian shoes and had no desire to have sticky juice spilt all over them. Draco saw the other boy look at him unsurely before he sat down close to Granger's side.

Granger turned to give the boy a warm smile and she pushed his slightly sweaty, long hair off his forehead before handing him his juice carton.

"Benji, Teddy, say hello to Draco." Granger said.

The two boys looked at him. Benji said hello enthusiastically and the one called Teddy smiled shyly.

"Are you here to play with us?" Benji asked as he started making weird slurping sounds with his carton.

Draco was stuck dumb. The kid wanted to play with him? He didn't know what to say…How to get out of it. He turned to Granger for help only to see her looking at him expectantly.

"Okay." He replied slowly.

If pretending to play with the boys would get him in Granger's good books then he could suffer for a few minutes. At least there didn't seem to be anyone he knew in the near vicinity.

Once the boys had finished their juices, he stood up uncertainly to join them. Oh Merlin, were they going to want to hold hands? He'd seen Benji wipe the juice off his mouth with his hand. He had no desire to touch anything unhygienic.

Fortunately, when they were a safe distance away from Hermione that she wouldn't be able to hear the mutterings under his breath, the boys seemed content with playing by themselves.

Draco stood stiffly as the two of them kicked a black and white ball around him. What in Merlin's beard were they doing?

"You're not playing." Benji stated loudly.

Draco whipped his head to see if Granger had heard but her head was still burrowed in her folder. Turning back to the kid he offered his reply. "Well, neither are you." He whispered.

"Yes I am." Benji replied indignantly.

"You're kicking a ball. That's not a game."

"Yes it is."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes it is!" Benji yelled. "Uncle Dean taught me it. It's called football. It's a Muggley game."

"Excuse me?"

"A muggley game!" he repeated loudly.

"I don't play _Muggle_ games." He corrected pretentiously.

"Why not? It's fun." Benji asked.

"It's a Muggle game." He reiterated.

"And?" Benji asked.

Draco sighed annoyed at the boy's questions. He looked at the other boy to see if he talked sense and jumped when he saw the boy's blue hair.

"Your hair is blue." Draco stated. "How old are you? Did you just do your first bit if magic? Should I get Granger?" he asked quickly.

"I can change my hair into lots of different colors." He said quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"Do green. I like green. It's my Daddy's favourite colour." Benji stated.

The boy scrunched his nose and in a few seconds, his hair was as green as the grass they were standing on.

"Are you a metamorphmagus?" Draco asked the boy, shocked at his ability.

The boy shrugged his little shoulders silently and his hair faded to a black colour.

"Who are your parents?" Draco asked.

The boy visibly stiffened before swiftly turning around and running back to Granger.

What?

A swift kick to his shins made him double over in pain. "You made Teddy sad." Benji said before running after the boy.

_What? _

He looked back at Granger to find her hugging and comforting a crying Teddy. Benji was stood next to them; his little hand patting Teddy on the shoulder. With trepidation, he moved towards them. When he was six feet away, he hovered uncertainly. He could hear Granger's soothing murmurs and Teddy's sniffling.

Merlin…he had made a kid cry. It was something his father would do. Something his father had done. Draco had done something his father had done and he felt anger in his chest at the fact he had followed in the same footsteps.

With cool grey eyes he assessed the situation. Teddy had stopped crying and was now wiping the tears from his eyes. Benji was still patting his friend's back and occasionally sending an odd look his way. Granger wasn't looking at him at all.

Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

"Why don't you and Benji go back and play while I talk to Draco for a few minutes?" Granger suggested softly.

The two boys slowly walked away in the opposite direction. Draco immediately started explaining.

"Granger, I don't know what happened. One minute he's standing there changing the colour of his hair and the next he's crying." He explained.

He didn't know whether his words were to get Granger to see he hadn't done anything wrong or to ease the guilt he felt.

Granger sighed softly before speaking. "I know you didn't mean to hurt him. You asked him who his parents were. Why would you do that?"

Puzzled at her question he answered. "Because he's a metamorphmagus. That's incredibly rare. I was just wondering who his parents were."

Granger looked at him. "You really don't know do you?" she asked softly.

"Know what?"

"Teddy is Tonks and Remus's son. They died in the war. He lives with his grandmother Andromeda. Your mother's sister."

Draco was struck still before he turned his head to look at the boy. Bloody hell. He was related to the boy. Granger was the babysitter his mother's sister had referred to in her letter.

"I didn't know." He said stiffly as he turned back to face Granger.

"I know."

There was silence for ten seconds as the two stared at each other.

"What do I do?" he finally asked.

"Apologise." Granger replied simply.

How do I do that? Draco thought. He didn't dare ask the question. He didn't think Granger would be too impressed with that. Instead he slowly made his way over to the two boys.

When he reached them, Benji was glaring at him. Well, Draco thought he was glaring. His little face was scrunched up and stuck nose first in the air. He pushed away the feeling of giving the boy his best glare and showing him how it was done.

Looking down at Teddy who was looking at his feet, he took in a deep breath before speaking. "I apologise for what I said and the subsequent upset it caused you."

He waited for Teddy to accept his apology and was confused when seconds went past with no word from the boy.

Draco awkwardly lifted an arm and patted the boy on the shoulder twice. The contact seemed to awaken something in him because the next thing Draco knew, Teddy's thin arms were wrapped around Draco's legs. The action caused Draco to fall forward and in order to keep himself standing, his arms were spread wide unsure what to do or where to go.

Ignoring the fact the boy was probably wiping his unhygienic snot on his new robes, he patted his back.

"Are you really my cousin?"

Draco looked down and saw Teddy's red face staring up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Yes."

"I always wanted a big brother." He smiled up.

Draco gulped and tried to smile at the little boy. He must have succeeded because Benji moved towards him and pulled on his hand.

"And you're my new Uncle." Benji said excitedly.

"Excuse me." Draco said startled.

"You were at Mummy and Daddy's party. I remember your hair. You're Daddy's friend and you're old. So you're my Uncle." he concluded.

"I am not old." Draco said indignantly.

"Yes you are."

"No I am not."

"Yes you are."

"What's your favourite colour?" Teddy asked him as his hand fiddled with Draco's sleeve.

"Green." He answered.

Teddy immediately turned his hair green.

"What's your favourite game?" he asked curiously.

"Quidditch." Draco replied.

That got both boys attention and Draco revelled in their gasps of excitement.

"My Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron are the best at Quidditch." Teddy said. Benji was nodding his head eagerly.

"Potter and Weasley! I'm much better than them."

There were gasps of shock followed by "Really?" and "Can you show us?"

An idea popped into Draco's head. It was perfect. An hour was all that was needed to get the kids on his side. If he could do that then Granger would be a lot more open to his invitation to accompany him. All he needed to do was-

"I think it's time to head off." came Granger's voice.

Buggering hell. The chit was going to put him in a premature grave.

* * *

_Author's Note: So my longest chapter to date. I think it's one of my favourites too. So the secret is out. Congratulations to everyone who figured it out before hand but especially to __wickedwench1_ _who figured it out way back in chapter 3! Next chapter will have the continuation of Draco, Hermione and the kids at the park. I was planning on including it in this chapter but it was getting too long. Well that's all lovelies. Until next time, Curiositykils_

_P.S. I've had a few confused readers so just to clear things up. Padma and Blaise are not married!_


	14. Chapter 14

**_"One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks." Jack Penn _**

_12/07/2010_ _15:43, Oak Park, London_

How to get her to stay without sounding desperate? _How _did he get her to stay without sounding desperate?

"Aunty MG. We can't go now! Uncle Draco was going to show us how he's better at playing Quidditch than Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron!" Benji said excitedly.

Granger glanced at him before quickly looking back down at Benji. He didn't know what to make of that look.

"I'm sure Uncle Draco will be able to show you some other time. Don't you want ice-cream now?" she cajoled.

Ice-cream vs. Quidditch. Which would win in the minds of four and five year old boys?

Teddy stayed quiet and Draco held his breath. Benji's small face scrunched up before a beaming smile spread across it.

"Quidditch first and then ice-cream?" he half begged and half questioned.

Draco thanked Merlin that kids were greedy little buggers.

Granger laughed at his words before shaking her head. "I'm sure Uncle Draco is busy right now."

Draco quickly interjected. "I have nothing planned for the afternoon. In fact it will give me a good chance to test out a few child-friendly products I have for my business. It will only take me a few moments to apparate and pick them up." He said smoothly as if his entire future didn't depend on her answer.

He watched her hesitate and forced his mouth to stay shut. Granger was the kind of woman who would probably do the opposite when being pushed into something. All he needed to do was let the kids expectant faces do his work.

Come on kids. Smile wide and keep those eyes twinkling.

As if Benji was listening to his inner monologue, the little boy let out a high prolonged "please" followed by a pout.

Draco looked down at the boy in grudging respect. If he could manipulate witches at the age of four then the witches at Hogwarts had better look out.

In the end, it took a shy smile from Teddy for Granger to finally cave.

"I guess that would be okay." She said hesitantly. "Although I'm not too sure about testing your products on the boys." She said with a look as if he was completely crazy.

Draco was about to take the insult to heart when he realised how scared (and rubbish) she had been at Quidditch in their first lesson. He remembered his pleasure at beating her in something for once. When he'd written about the event to his father, he had received a pair of the finest dragon skin gloves.

"Oh please Aunty MG. We'll be really careful." Benji's loud whine pierced through Draco's memory and brought him back to the present.

Benji turned to face him. His hand came to cup the side of his mouth before he whispered, "Aunty MG doesn't like Quidditch," as if he'd just spoken a shameful secret that shouldn't be vocalized out loud.

Draco decided to interject. "The miniature brooms have a built in speed and height limit and are charmed to create a cushioning charm at the moment of impact."

Granger looked at him. "But the chance of an impact occurring is still possible." She countered.

Draco supposed it was time to step it up a gear. "I-"

"Uncle Draco will look after us won't you?" Benji spoke over him.

He was struck still. Bloody hell.

No-one had trusted him to take care of them before. Hell, he'd practically been looking after himself since he was a kid. According to his father, it was necessary to learn how to do so before going to Hogwarts.

Looking out for yourself and yourself only wasn't just the Malfoy way- it was the Slytherin way.

Granger was still hesitating and Draco prepared himself to rattle off some of the safety statistics the brooms held.

"We'll go really slow Aunty Hermione." Teddy said quietly as he slipped his tiny hand into Granger's equally tiny hands. Merlin, the woman had small hands. Had they always been that small? They had certainly felt big when they were punching him in the face.

The embarrassing memory only reinforced Draco's determination to get Granger to date him. It was only right- she did owe him after all.

"Okay. I guess I'm just being over cautious. As long as you don't fly too high." She warned laughingly. She directed a look at Draco and Benji when she spoke the words but it was Teddy who answered with a quiet "I promise."

"I'll be back in a few minutes. It won't take me long to get the brooms." He said to Granger.

He waited for her nod before apparating away. He wasn't quite sure if he managed to hide the victory in smile as he went.

Oh well, she wouldn't know what it meant anyway.

ooo

_12/07/2010_ _15:47, Oak Park, London_

True to his word, Draco apparated back to the park in a few minutes. Hermione watched as Benji and Teddy's faces lit up with bright smiles as they saw the two new broom boxes Draco was carrying in his left hand.

When he passed the boxes to them, Benji eagerly tore open the packaging while Teddy carefully opened his own.

Once the two held the brooms in their little hands, Hermione finally looked back at Draco.

He seemed confident enough and whilst Hermione remembered his skill at the game from Hogwarts, she was still unsure. She'd never understood the need to balance on a thin piece of wood with nothing to catch you all for a silly game.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked the boys.

His words were met with eager nods. Hermione gulped and resisted the somewhat motherly urge she had to pull the boys off their brooms and apparate them back to the safety of her flat.

"Have you flown before?" Draco asked.

Benji nodded whilst Teddy got a sad look on his face before he shook his head in the negative. And it was that motion that made Hermione's heart break and made her determined not to ruin this for him.

She knew first hand just how protective Andromeda was of Teddy and whilst Hermione understood the reasoning behind the older woman's actions, she had no doubt that her actions had hindered Teddy. Instead of a lively outgoing boy he should have been- an exact replica of his mother- he was shy and eternally worried about doing something wrong for fear of making his grandmother sad or worried.

It was one of the reasons why she and Harry too, offered to look after him so much. Only every time she did, Teddy would finally break out of his shell just before Andromeda picked him up andthe next time she would see him, it was as if she was a stranger to him.

Sighing, she vowed to look after him much more. But in the mean time, all she could do was hope that he enjoyed his first experience riding a broom. As for her, she would be watching closely on the sidelines, wand in hand and ready to perform a cushioning charm should the broom's safety mechanisms not work and a Stinging hex should Draco hurt either one of the boys.

ooo

_12/07/2010, 15:47, 3 St James Wood, London_

Padma glanced up covertly from her folder and looked over at where Blaise sat on the dining room table.

He was staring so intently at the restaurant books that he didn't even notice her heated stare. He hadn't noticed her heated stare in the last fifty-four minutes.

Sighing, Padma looked back down. The day was definitely not going to plan. She'd woken up this morning with such high hopes and they'd all been dashed.

When she'd returned back from Hermione's after dropping Benji off, Blaise had disappeared. His note had stated another work emergency. He'd popped back home for a quick lunch, merely picking at the spread she'd spent all morning preparing of his favourite foods, before he'd kissed her distractedly on the lips and apparated back out again.

The meal had barely lasted fifteen minutes and no amount of conversation she initiated had amounted to anything.

When she'd asked him about the work emergencies he was having, Blaise had brushed her off before changing the conversation onto Benji.

He'd apparated back home just over an hour ago and since then, they'd practically spent the afternoon in silence.

What was wrong at the restaurant that could distract him so much? She'd been with Blaise for nearly five years and he never got rattled at anything. It went against his cool Slytherin exterior he'd once told her. Well, he had gotten rattled when her waters had broken but not ever since then. What in Merlin's name was wrong?

Two minutes later and Padma had had enough. He was her partner damnit and she should be able to help him with his problems. What was that Muggle saying Hermione had said to her so many times? A problem shared was a problem halved? Maybe if she got Blaise to talk about the problem with her then he would feel better.

With determination, Padma moved the paperwork off her lap and walked over to the seat next to him. When Blaise didn't look up at her, she sighed before moving to shut the account books.

Moving her fingers to the back of his hand, she squeezed it lightly before she began stroking it soothingly.

"Blaise. What's wrong? Tell me."

"It's nothing."

"Don't tell me that. Please. Maybe I can help?"

Blaise sighed before turning his head to face her. His dark eyes looked intently into her own and Padma made sure she didn't blink. It seemed important that she didn't and it must have been because Blaise finally shifted his hand so it was holding hers - albeit a little too tightly but Padma wasn't complaining.

"Do you remember us from when we were in Hogwarts?"

Padma's puzzlement grew at the random question. "Of course I do."

"Do you remember me?"

Padma smiled as she remembered a seventeen year old Blaise in his uniform. It was so strange to think it was only a handful of years ago. So much had happened since then it seemed like forever.

"Yes." Padma smiled. "Although if you ask me to remember who you spent your time with then I might need to Floo a few people. I don't think I remember the name of every girl in Hogwarts." Padma joked as she tried to lighten up the mood.

The smile slid off her face when a serious expression fell over Blaise's features.

"Blaise?" she asked him questioningly.

Blaise looked at her. "I had a crush on you. Did you know that?" he asked strongly.

Padma's brow drew together before she nodded. This wasn't the first time Blaise had told her that he'd fancied her during their Hogwarts years but she'd never fully believed he'd meant it seriously until this very moment. She had caught him staring at her a few times during their school years but she'd always thought it was because of how geeky she must have looked with a book permanently attached to her hand. She'd had a habit of reading whilst eating every meal and it was a habit that still wasn't fully broken.

"You and Benji are my family. I love you both-" He seemed lost for words and ended up shaking his head.

Padma moved her hand to cup his cheek before she turned his head back to face her.

"You're my family too. And Benji's. I love you- so much. And Benji loves his Daddy more than anyone else in the world."

Her words seem to soothe something in him because she'd barely finished speaking before he let out a haggard breath and his shoulders seemed to slump in relief. A second later he'd taken hold off her chin firmly between his fingers and he was kissing her deeply.

Padma could only take so much before she had to pull back to get some air into her lungs. Blaise was looking at her with an amused and satisfactory look on his face and instead of poking him as she would normally have done; Padma merely glowed at the fact that he seemed happier.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?" she said lightly.

Blaise shook his head before he pushed the books away from him. "I think I've sorted the problem out. We have the house to ourselves. Benji will be back in a few hours and I think I've wasted enough time."

With that, Padma was pulled up into his arms as he apparated her to the next floor of their house.

ooo

_12/07/2010_ _16:28, Oak Park, London_

Hermione smiled as she watched Benji and Teddy descend somewhat haphazardly off their brooms. They were both still beaming widely and their little faces were flushed with innocent pleasure. When Draco descended smoothly next to her a second later, she turned to face him.

"Thank you so much for this. They've had an amazing time. I don't think they'll be able to stop talking about this for a while." She told him.

A strange expression passed over Draco's face. "I had fun too." He told her. It was as if he didn't believe himself.

"Well I'm glad." She said to him before turning to the boys who were now packaging up their brooms with care.

Benji saw her looking at him and he ran up to her happily. "Uncle Draco said we play really good!" He said excitedly. "Isn't he wicked?"

Hermione turned back to Draco and gave him a smile. "Very wicked."

From the confused look on Draco's face she could see he didn't understand the Muggle phrase. Before she could explain, Benji started up a very loud running commentary of their time in the air.

"And I went this way to pass the Quaffle to Teddy and Draco nearly catched me!" he squealed.

"Caught you honey." Hermione corrected.

Benji merely nodded. Hermione lifted her head to look at Teddy as he made his way over to her. His little body was panting with exhaustion but his smile had never been bigger.

"Have fun?" Hermione asked him as he came to a stop beside her. He nodded his head eagerly.

"Ready for some ice-cream?" she asked him.

Teddy's smile started to droop and he nodded unsurely. Hermione forced her carefree smile to stay in place.

"Uncle Draco told me that you were great at Quidditch." She told the little boy.

His face flushed in happiness before he turned to face Draco. Draco had told her no such thing but she had been watching the three of them closely. Whilst Benji was steadier on a broom then Teddy, he was a lot more over excited every time he caught the Quaffle. It usually meant he dropped the ball before he could pass it to anyone.

"You were good." Draco agreed somewhat simply as if he wasn't sure how to compliment the boy.

Not wanting Teddy to become introverted again she turned towards him. "I think you'll get on the Gryffindor Quidditch team for sure."

Teddy glowed.

"And I'll be on the Slytherin Quidditch team!" Benji added.

"That's more like it." Draco said as he smiled.

Hermione laughed.

"Are you coming to eat ice-cream with us?" Benji asked Draco.

Hermione frowned. Draco had seemed to enjoy spending time with the boys but she still felt uncomfortable around him. However, she could hardly say no could she?

"I'm sure we've taken up enough of Uncle Draco's time." She said hopefully.

She caught Draco's eyes and felt guilty when she realised that he had caught on to the fact that she wanted him to leave. She shot him an uneasy smile in the hope it would convey an apology.

ooo

Draco caught the tone in Granger's voice and smiled. So she still didn't want to spend anytime with him eh? He watched her smile uneasily at him and smirked.

"Actually I have nothing planned."

He directed the words at Granger and forced himself to hide his own smile when she pasted a happy look on her face.

"Great!" she smiled before she wordlessly accocied the blanket and her bag into her arms.

Draco's eyebrows rose at the casual display of non verbal magic. It was another thing that he had yet to achieve and it was something else that renewed his determination to use Granger.

He watched as she pushed the bag up onto her shoulder before grabbing Benji and Teddy's hands.

"Hold on tight." She told them before she turned to face him. "We'll be going to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour."

Draco nodded as he watched her pop away. Two seconds later he followed. Time to step his plan up a notch.

ooo

_12/07/2010_ _16:36 ______Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour__, Diagon Alley _

Hermione finished telling Florean's niece their order before turning back to make sure that Benji and Teddy were keeping themselves out of trouble at their table.

Instead, she found herself smacking into Draco's chest.

"Oh I'm sorry." She said to him as she felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment.

Why in Merlin's name was he standing so close to her? The parlour was busy but it wasn't this busy.

"No problem." Draco growled.

Hermione found herself doing a double take at the tone of his voice before dismissing it. She gave him a tight smile before shifting her body around his so they were standing somewhat side to side instead of face to face.

"It's busy." Hermione commented so that the silence would be broken. More importantly, so that he would stop staring at her like that.

Draco murmured noncommittally.

Another silence descended. Hermione's eyes travelled all over the shop and then back again.

"Benji and Teddy really enjoyed today. Thank you for spending time with them." She told him as she finally braved facing him again.

"Your welcome." His voice rumbled.

Hermione didn't know what else to talk about and so she decided to stick to the boys. It seemed the safest.

"You were great with Teddy. Really drew him out of his shell. It usually takes longer for him to get used to strangers. But with you- he just clicked straight away. Benji too. You'd make a good Dad."

Hermione was startled as Draco straightened quickly.

"Excuse me?" Draco said.

His voice reverted back to normal and it took Hermione a second to register his words.

"Sorry?"

"You think I'd make a good father?" he asked her.

"Yes. You certainly had no problem with Benji and Teddy today." She replied.

Draco looked like he was going to reply when their ice creams were placed on the counter. Turning away from him, Hermione grabbed two glasses wordlessly before squeezing herself through the lively crowd.

When she reached their table, she set the glasses in front of the boys before taking her own seat. Draco set her ice cream down in front of her. When he didn't take his own seat, Hermione twisted in her chair to see what the problem was.

He was standing behind her, looking down at the three of them with an inscrutable look on his face.

"Draco? Is everything okay?" she asked him.

Her words seemed to snap him out of his thoughts. "Yes. I just remembered an important owl I have to send. I'm afraid I have to leave."

"You're leaving?" Teddy interjected before Hermione could respond.

Draco nodded his head at the boy.

"But you just got your ice-cream." Benji pointed out at the scoops of vanilla on the table.

When Draco didn't respond, Hermione replied for him. "Well I guess that means there's more for you two. Don't tell Padma or Andromeda though."

Her laughing words didn't erase the look of sadness on Teddy's face.

"Vanilla's boring. It's yucky." Benji announced as he pointed to his own multi colored glass which was emitting chocolate sparks.

Hermione smiled. Her own mint choc chip only got away from being branded boring and yucky because it was green.

"Can't you stay a little bit longer?" Teddy asked quietly.

Hermione bit her lip. Teddy and Draco had gotten on so well that she wished she could tell the little boy that he could see Draco soon. Unfortunately that wasn't up to her. It all depended on how well the meeting with Narcissa and Andromeda was going. Oh Merlin, please let it be going well.

She didn't want Teddy to lose Draco.

"I'm afraid not." Draco said.

Teddy looked back down and fiddled morosely with his ice cream spoon. Hermione turned back to Draco and looked at him beseechingly.

At her look, Draco walked around her before he was standing by Teddy's chair. Lifting a hand, he patted Teddy's shoulder awkwardly. The contact caused Teddy to look up at Draco until Draco bent his knees so the two were at the same level.

"How about the next time you spend some time with your Aunt Hermione, I can join you?"

Hermione kept her mouth firmly shut.

"Really?" Teddy asked earnestly.

Draco nodded his head. "I can show you some tricks on your broom."

"We can keep the brooms?" Benji said excitedly.

Now was definitely time for Hermione to interject. "Uh Draco. I'm sure the brooms were very expensive."

"It's fine Granger." Draco dismissed her concerns.

"Boys, what do we say to Uncle Draco?"

"Thank you Uncle Draco." Benji said ear piercingly.

"Thank you Uncle Draco." Teddy said slowly before he flung himself at Draco for a tight hug.

Hermione saw Draco's surprised expression and hesitance before he moved his arm to pat Teddy on the back.

When Draco stood back up, he cleared his throat gruffly before turning to face her.

"Hermione can I have a word."

Hermione had expected him to apparate away, not ask her for a private conversation.

"Oh um okay." She said to him as they moved a few steps away from the boys.

"I wanted to thank you for allowing me to spend the afternoon with the three of you." He said.

Hermione smiled. "I think I should be telling you that."

Draco ignored her words. "You said earlier that you were having difficulties in gathering the funds for your trip. I'm having a dinner party with the investors from my business in a few days. I'm sure they would be interested in your research. If you were to accompany me-"

"Oh no Draco-"

Draco interrupted her objections.

"It would be my way of saying thank you. Both for today and for helping me with Jennifer."

"You already took me out to dinner." Hermione protested.

"Which I was forced to cut short. You helped me with something I wanted. Let me help you with something you need in return."

He said the words so convincingly Hermione found herself faltering. Her first reason for hesitating was because she didn't want it to seem like they were on a date. But like he said, he still liked Jennifer and she _was_ running out of time to collect the funds. It wasn't as if there was any harm in going.

"Okay. Thank you Draco. That would be great." She replied somewhat cautiously.

Draco's eyes gleamed at her answer. "Great. I shall owl you with the date and location. If you prefer, I can pick you up before the dinner party starts."

"Oh no that's fine. I'm sure I can manage." She said.

Draco nodded at her answer. "Very well then. Goodbye."

"Bye." Hermione replied.

With one last look at Teddy he apparated away. Hermione stood where she was for a moment as her mind caught up with the situation before she moved back to the table.

She couldn't wait to tell Padma the latest development.

ooo

_12/07/2010, 19:13, 3 St James Wood, London_

"Mommy!" Benji squealed as he ran into the front room.

Padma smiled and managed to open her arms a split second before Benji barreled into them.

"Look at what I have." He said as he thrust a packaged box in front of her. It was so close to her face she had to cross her eyes to read the small writing on the box.

"A broom?" she said puzzled.

"Yep. Uncle Draco let me and Teddy have one and he teached us Quidditch. I was really good! I'm gonna be on the Slytherin Quidditch team!"

"Uncle Draco?" Padma frowned in question as she turned to look at Blaise.

He caught the question in her tone and face. "I'll explain later." He said as he moved into the room. "Once this one has had his bath." He said as he scooped Benji up from her lap.

Padma watched as Blaise made a face and blew raspberries into Benji's neck. "Someone smells stinky."

Benji giggled. "I don't smell stinky Daddy!" he said as he squealed with laughter.

Padma laughed at the sight. Blaise gave her a wink before he carried Benji upstairs. Getting up off the sofa, Padma watched the two of them disappear and then waited until their voices where muffled.

Taking in a deep breath, she moved back into the sitting room and half shut the door behind her. Digging into her jeans pocket, she pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment.

Anthony's latest letter.

It stated the usual. How much he loved her. How sorry he was. How much he wanted to see Benji. Become a proper family. Just the three of them.

Taking a piece of parchment from Blaise's table, Padma scribbled her short reply. Folding the parchment quickly so the words were hidden, she hurried into the kitchen and gave the letter to her owl.

When it was a speck in the distance she took in a calming breath before making her way upstairs to help Blaise with Benji.

This was her family.

Benji, Blaise and her.

Just the three of them.

ooo

_12/0_7/_2010 18:58, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

"Draco."

Draco turned at the call of his name. His mother was walking towards him with a light smile on her face. It looked like the meeting with her sister had gone well. Good, Draco was pleased. His mother deserved this after putting up with his father for all these years.

"Mother." Draco answered as he held out his arm for her to latch onto.

She did so and the two began making their way down to the dining room.

"I trust your meeting went well?" he asked her.

Narcissa's eyes sparkled. "Oh Draco it was wonderful to talk to her. I didn't realise how much I'd missed her until I saw her again."

"I'm glad for you."

Narcissa smiled at him. "I tried finding you earlier but the elf told me you were out for the afternoon?"

Draco smirked. "Actually I was with Granger."

He revelled in his mother's gasp of suprise. "I know you said things were moving along but I didn't think-"

"Well you can start thinking mother. I have Granger right where I want her."

* * *

_Author's Note: Next chapter: A date, a non date, kisses flying around everywhere and trouble's a coming. Guesses anyone? Until next time, Curiositykils_


	15. Chapter 15

**_"I trust everyone, I just don't trust the "Devil" inside them" The Italian Job (2003)_**

_13/07/2010__, __23:34__, Flat 2, Above Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Pansy Parkinson lay in bed, eyes wide open as she stared uselessly at the ceiling. She felt a much desired breeze flow in through the open window and sighed against the stifling heat. She knew she should be asleep by now. It was Sunday and she was due in early at work tomorrow.

But every time she closed her eyes and willed sleep to arrive thus bringing her one step closer to tomorrow, Harry's face would pop back into her mind.

She couldn't wait to see him again!

She couldn't wait until their date on Wednesday!

He'd invited her around to his home and offered to cook her dinner. She was lucky that he had owled her instead of asked her face to face because Pansy had been struck still at the fact he knew how to cook. Blaise aside, she'd never known a wizard who knew how to make a meal. Merlin, she didn't know how to cook herself. She was just getting the hang of making pasta. And even that was with overcooked pasta strands that she would never serve to anyone else.

She only ate it because she had no choice.

She was looking forward to eating something other than cheese sandwiches and mushy pasta for once.

She was looking forward to seeing Harry even more!

Smiling widely, she kicked off the light covers and turned to her side. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and this time, she managed to drift away into her dreams.

ooo

Seventeen minutes later, a tired and weary black owl that Pansy was familiar with, landed on the windowsill. Noting that the recipient of the letter was sleeping, the owl promptly flew into the room and deposited the letter from his beak onto the bedside table.

Taking a few moments to stare at the sleeping witch, the owl remembered the softness of her touch against his wings compared to the harshness of many others he'd received throughout his life. Giving a soft tweet, he flew back onto the windowsill and with one last look at his dark haired friend, he began the long journey back to his master's house in France.

ooo

_14/07/2010__, __08:53__, Ministry of Magic Level 4, __117 Euston Road__, __London_

Hermione made her way through the departmental floor, giving a polite smile to colleagues who asked her how her weekend had been.

She didn't want to waste time with meaningless chatter right now. She was as the Muggle phrase went "freaking out."

She turned a corner and saw Padma's raven hair and breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly making her way over to her, she dropped her bag onto her desk and fell into her chair.

"I think I made a huge mistake." She said in one breathless rush.

Padma lifted her head, turned in her chair and raised a single eyebrow as she silently studied Hermione.

"I agreed to accompany Draco to his investor's meeting."

That raised a response from Padma.

"What?" she gasped. "Draco Malfoy?" she asked unnecessarily.

Hermione ignored her friend's obtuse response. She fully understood the shock she was currently in.

"Yes Draco Malfoy." Hermione responded.

Padma wheeled her chair closer to Hermione's.

"Let me get this right. You agreed to go on a date with Draco Malfoy?" she asked.

"No!" Hermione stated loudly. When a few heads turned her way she blushed before she bent her head closer to Padma's. "It's not a date. We're going as friends."

"Since when are you friends with Draco Malfoy?" Padma asked in a nonplussed tone.

"Since Saturday."

When Blaise had picked Benji up instead of Padma, Hermione had sent her an owl filling her in on the afternoon trip to the park. She had however kept quiet on what she'd agreed to do. She needed time to digest the information herself.

"You didn't tell me that in your letter!"

Hermione sighed. "Look, how do I get out of it without sounding rude? I can't believe I agreed to go in the first place."

"Where's he taking you?" Padma asked as she ignored Hermione's question.

"It isn't a date!" Hermione reiterated. "He said that he was having an investor's dinner for his business and there might potentially be some witches and wizards who would back our trip." She defended.

The expectant smile dropped off Padma's face. "Oh. Well that sounds like a good idea. We are getting a little close to the deadline."

Hermione sighed and looked away. "It doesn't seem right to go to a private dinner with Draco's investors and ask them to fund our trip. Chances are that they already know about it… and the lack of funds. It's been all over the paper."

"You're calling him Draco now?" Padma asked slyly.

Hermione turned back to her friend with a smile on her face. "Would you please concentrate on the problem at hand?"

"What problem? Hermione, come on. It's one dinner. A business dinner from the sound of it. Where's the harm in that?"

"I don't know if I can handle it. I never feel comfortable asking people for money." Hermione admitted glumly.

"I can give you some tips and you'll be fine." Padma encouraged.

Hermione ran a hand through her hair and then had to tug to pull it free from the curls. Could she really do this? Out of the two, Padma was usually the one who handled the money side of their trips and Hermione handled the bulk of the research. It was why their partnership was so effective. Sure Hermione had always been present when Padma set up meetings to get investors but she'd be alone this time.

No- she wouldn't be alone. She would be with Draco Malfoy. That alone made her even more uncomfortable.

He'd owled her a sparse note informing her of the details on where the dinner was being held and other formal particulars. Hermione had just been glad that she wouldn't need to step into Malfoy Manor but a suite in the Wizarding Hotel that had recently opened.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt Padma's hand touch her shoulder.

"Look Mione, if you don't feel comfortable doing this then you don't have to. But you know as well as I do that this might be our last chance to get the remainder of the funding."

Hermione knew that very well. Which is why she finally nodded her agreement. Wednesday evening could not come slow enough it seemed.

ooo

_16/07/2010__, __11:13__, Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

Harry slowly woke up in bed and looked around his bedroom. Shifting to avoid the sunlight streaming into the room from behind the curtains, his sore eyes began to shut again.

He turned over onto his stomach and his aching muscles groaned in protest.

Merlin did he hate the training days that Kinglsey made mandatory for all Aurors. Harry understood how necessary they were but this latest one had been pure hell.

Monday morning, he'd stepped onto the department floor when Kingsley had called him into his office. When Harry had entered, Kinglsey had gestured at the folder in front of him and as soon as Harry had touched it, he'd only managed to catch a glimpse of Kingsley twinkling eyes before he had been whisked away.

And thus had begun two days of adrenaline fuelled torture.

He'd landed in the Amazon rainforest.

His supplies had landed at his feet not two seconds later.

With them was a list of instructions on his "task". Kingsley had also seen fit to mention that from now on, the training days would be a surprise in order for him to get realistic results on an Auror's abilities. He'd chosen Harry to test out his idea.

Harry groaned out loud as he remembered what his body had been put through. Taking in a deep breath, he willed his mind to shut back down. He needed more sleep.

Only there was a niggling feeling in his stomach that was telling him that he was forgetting something important.

Opening his eyes, the first thing they landed on was the digital alarm clock on his bedside table. Squinting to make out the numbers, he read the time before his eyes shifted over to the date.

The niggling in his stomach increased. 16th of July? What was so special about today?

And then hit it him. Harry sat up straight in bed and brushed a hand over his face in an effort to clear the cobwebs away.

It didn't work, but when his mind conjured up the image of the witch in question, his body zinged to attention and Harry found himself stumbling into the shower as fast as his sore legs could carry him.

ooo

_16/07/2010__, __18:17__, Flat 2, Above Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Pansy stared miserably into her cupboard. She had nothing to wear. Harry had already seen her in both of the dresses she still owned, one at Blaise and Padma's dinner party and the second at their horrendous date at Juniper.

Pulling the clothes from one side of the cupboard to the other, Pansy critically studied the remainder of her clothes. They were all work clothes. They weren't suitable for a date.

Why in Merlin's beard had she not thought of this sooner? Sighing, she grabbed hold of the two dresses and closed the cupboard door. Moving to stand in front of her mirror she studied herself as she held up each dress to her body.

They were both black but Pansy thought it was more likely that Harry would remember what she was wearing at their date than at Blaise's house. That was a long time ago after all.

Charming the discarded dress to re-hang itself, Pansy pulled on the other, taking great pains to not disturb the hair she had charmed into loose curls.

She was tempted to cast the hoard of beauty charms over her face like she had done in Hogwarts but she'd managed to stop herself. That's what the old Pansy would have done. The Pansy who needed to hide behind something. The new Pansy didn't need to hide behind anything.

Right?

Before Pansy could convince herself otherwise, she grabbed her purse and apparated away.

The letter that had been delivered less than 24 hours ago still lay unseen on the floor.

ooo

_Pansy. _

_This is enough. Come back home at once. After everything your Uncle has done for this us and this is how you repay him? _

_Julian Rookwood is a dear friend of his and for you to shame him like this? It's incorrigible. You young lady should be glad that Mr Rookwood was willing to take you on._

_He would have been able to keep us both in the way we are accustomed. You know how perilous our money situation is! Yet you selfishly disappear the night before your engagement._

_Do you have any idea on the embarrassment you have caused me? _

_Your Uncle has managed to smooth things over with Mr Rookwood but he will not wait forever for you. _

_For once in your life think about someone other than yourself and return here at once. _

_Your Mother_

ooo

_16/07/2010__, __18:33__, Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

Pansy apparated onto a side street in Godric's Hollow before she walked over to Harry's cottage. She stood outside and simply stared at the red front door.

She was early. A quick swish of her wand told her that she still had a while to go before seven 'o' clock which was when Harry was expecting her.

Would it be rude to knock on the door now? Maybe she should go back home and apparate back in thirty minutes?

Yes that's what she should do. Pansy turned on her heel and began walking back towards the gate she had just come through.

"Pansy?"

Pansy froze in her steps before her head came spinning around. Her cheeks mottled in embarrassment as she saw Harry leaning in the doorway, looking at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Oh Hello." She said somewhat dimly.

"Hi. Are you going somewhere?" He asked.

Oh Merlin. "I-I was just going to apparate back home. I forgot my earrings." She said stupidly.

She prayed to Merlin that her hair was currently covering her ears and that there wouldn't be a breeze that would show up her lie.

"Oh, well I'm sure your ears will look great with or without them." Harry replied.

Pansy stared at him. She watched with growing fascination as his own cheeks turned a light shade of red and his eyes darted to something behind her.

After a few seconds he cleared his throat. "Would you like to come in?"

"Oh yes, I suppose." Pansy answered quietly as she walked towards the door.

"You look great." Harry said as she walked past him into a small passageway.

"Thank You." She replied. Her hands itched to cover her ears. "You look great too."

Harry smiled before he moved around her. "Well follow me. You're a little early so dinner isn't quite ready."

With his back to her Pansy quickly took a second to pull the earrings out of her ears and slip them into her purse.

"Oh I'm sorry. I can come back later if it suits you."

Harry kept walking but turned his head to give her a smile. "Don't be silly. I just need to place a charm over the fish and potatoes." He said as he carried on walking.

Pansy followed him into the kitchen and her mouth started watering as she smelled the food. Eyes sweeping over the side table she smiled. Nope there was definitely no cheese sandwiches or soggy pasta in sight.

Harry poured a glass of wine and handed it to her. "Where did you learn how to cook? Other than Blaise, I don't think I've ever known a wizard who could make a meal before."

Harry's astounded eyes met hers. "Really?"

Pansy nodded. "Not many Pureblood families cook for themselves. They usually have house elves for that sort of thing."

Harry smiled. "Maybe the Purebloods you know but not the one's I know. Mrs Weasley taught me to cook after the war. I think she was scared that Ron and I wouldn't know how to make anything and would starve ourselves before we withered away."

Pansy smiled. "The boy who lived dying because he couldn't cook?"

Harry laughed. "Something like that." He swished his wand and murmured under his breath. Pansy watched steam rise from the potatoes.

Grabbing his own glass of wine Harry turned to her. "Shall we go into the sitting room?"

Pansy nodded and followed him. She was glad she had come early.

ooo

_16/07/2010__, __19:45__, Abbott Hotel, __London_

Draco smirked as he walked over to greet Vincent Thicket who had just apparated in.

He was still far enough away from them for is eyes to linger over Thicket's date's exposed cleavage. Merlin, his girls seemed to get younger and bustier every time Draco saw him. This one looked to be about twenty. Which was saying something when Thicket's age of fifty-five came into the cauldron.

"Draco! How lovely to see you!" Thicket's voice boomed around the suite.

Draco plastered a smile to his face as he pumped the man's hand up and down once. "Vincent. I'm glad you could make it."

Thicket gave a booming laugh. "Would I miss seeing and meeting the other wizards and witches that I'm going into business with?"

Draco's lips twitched upwards. For all his pervert tendencies, Vincent Thicket was a shrewd businessman and Draco was lucky he had managed to convince him to invest in the business. Noting that Thicket was busy beadily shifting his eyes to every face in the room, Draco turned towards Thicket's date.

"I'm Draco Malfoy." He said smoothly.

He watched the red-headed girl take in a breath and thrust her chest out towards him. Draco's eyes once again dropped back down to her cleavage. He was a wizard and who else would pass up such a blatant invitation.

"It's lovely to meet you." He continued.

The red-head's glossy lips parted and she was about to speak when Thicket's attention was bought back to them.

"Ah yes. This is Isobel Lexy. My date for the evening." He introduced.

Draco nodded his head towards her. "And where's your date Draco? Don't tell me that you couldn't find a witch to accompany you. I remember your father in Hogwarts. He had girls throwing themselves at him day and night. It definitely was difficult to get some sleep on the night's he _entertained _if you catch my meaning_._"

Draco gritted his teeth. The meaning was easy enough for even a dim-witted person to catch.

"My date doesn't seem to have arrived yet." Draco responded tightly.

He discreetly glanced at his watch and his eyes narrowed at the time. The bloody witch was late.

ooo

_16/07/2010__, __19:46__, Abbott Hotel, __London_

Hermione Granger stood outside the doors to the suite and willed herself to walk through them. She was a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake. After everything she had been through she could easily get through the next few hours.

With a confirming nod she opened the door and stepped into the room. Several people turned to stare at her as they recognized her face. She ignored them as she glanced over the room in an effort to spot Draco's blond head.

She saw him at the far end of the room talking to a graying man who had a witch old enough to be his daughter hanging off his arm. Taking in another fortifying breath, she made her way towards them.

ooo

"My boy. You didn't tell me that you had such royalty investing in your business!" Thicket boomed.

Draco's brow crinkled and he turned his head to discern who the wizard could be talking about.

His eyes landed on Granger. A very hot looking Granger. Bloody hell, she hadn't dressed like that for Zabini's dinner party.

Hearing a sharp intake of breath from Isobel, Draco snapped his eyes from Granger's body to her face.

She was smiling as she made her way over to where he was standing. Draco could easily make out that the lines on her face weren't from her smile but from strain.

What did she have to be nervous about? He was the one who would have to make out that they were dating?

And on the subject of dating, Draco realized that he needed to stake his claim. Judging from the appreciative looks being directed at Granger from the other wizards in the room he needed to stake his claim quickly. He would need to stick close to her all evening. Who knew if one of these other bastards asked her out and she agreed. His whole plan would be ruined.

As Granger came to a stop next to him, he immediately leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. Granger's wide eyes could have given the game away but he hoped that the others interpreted her look as a sign of adoration instead of shock.

"Hermione. I'm glad you're finally here. May I introduce you to Vincent Thicket and his date, Isobel Lexy."

To Granger's credit, she recovered smoothly enough to give her two new acquaintances a polite "How do you do."

Thicket immediately drew Granger into conversation and Draco took the time to eye her form from the top of her head to the tip of the stiletto heels she had chosen to wear for the evening.

Stiletto heels. He'd never have imagined the Gryffindor princess to wear such wicked shoes. Draco cast his mind back to what shoes she was wearing at Zabini's dinner party but he couldn't remember.

Granger's tinkling laughter at something Thicket had said pulled him out of his musings. He smirked before he casually spread a palm over Granger's back. It could have been a friendly act but Draco was hoping it looked more intimate then friendly.

All he needed now was to get Granger to relax against him. As he lazily stroked a thumb across her spine she stiffened further and turned her head to look at him.

ooo

Why in Merlin's name was Draco's hand spread all over her back. Forget that, why in Merlin's name was Draco's thumb stroking her like she did to Crookshanks?

Hermione thought she'd made it clear to him that they were here as friends. He was the one who was so in love with Jennifer anyhow.

Maybe Hermione was reading the signs wrong? Yes that had to be it. But one thing was certain; Hermione needed him to drop his hand from her back.

Uncomfortable around Draco she may still be, Hermione had decided that it would be easier if she spent the evening with him. At least this way he would be able to introduce her to his investors and hopefully help her bring conversation to her trip.

She was having second thoughts now though. In fact, she was hoping that they would be sitting on opposite sides of the table at dinner.

She didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.

Unfortunately for her, they were seated right next to each other. Hermione had quickly shifted her body so it was facing the person on her left before she realized that she was now looking into the serious eyes of Theo Nott.

She smiled at him in the hopes of striking up a conversation and pressed on when he didn't immediately turn away and dismiss her.

"Hello. How are you?" she asked him.

"Fine." Was his short answer.

Hermione remembered what Padma had told her about Nott's lack of vocal skills and continued.

"I didn't realize you were an investor in Draco's business. I don't believe Mandy mentioned anything at Blaise and Padma's dinner party."

Nott's head whipped around to face her and his cold stare pierced into her. Oh dear.

"I'm sorry. I should have realized not to bring up Mandy. Padma told me you had broken up."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nott's hand curl tightly around his knife. Hermione's eyes widened before she gave him one last apologetic smile and turned her body away from him.

It looked like Draco would be the safer option this evening. Talk about being stuck between an enemy's wand and a wall.

Hermione sighed internally. It looked set to be a long evening.

ooo

_16/07/2010, __22:40,__ Abbott Hotel, __London_

"Draco congratulations."

Draco turned to face George Finkle and shook the man's hand. "Thank you. It looks like business will be going well in the future."

Finkle laughed. "I wasn't talking about business Draco. I was talking about Miss Granger."

"Hermione?"

"Yes. I hope you realize just what a lucky bastard you are!"

"George!" Alice Finkle lightly admonished her husband.

Draco turned to face her. "Hermione's a very lovely witch Draco."

"Very beautiful." Finkle added.

Granger? Beautiful? Draco rotated his head to where she was currently talking to Mary Tulbridge. He studied her critically.

Draco preferred witches who had bigger breasts, less bushy hair and quieter mouths. Although he had to admit that Granger had been less yappy than usual tonight. A fact he was most pleased about. Her hair was also less resemblant of a bird's nest and while her breasts would never be what he favoured, he had to acknowledge that Granger looked quite hot tonight. But beautiful?

If you went for that sort of witch Draco supposed.

"Beauty and brains too." Alice added. "And so polite. I'd always thought that after the War and the stories in the Prophet that she might have let fame go to her head but she's so down to Earth."

Finkle nodded his head. "You'd do well to keep that one Draco. She'll make you very happy one day."

Draco felt a stirring in his stomach which he linked to giddy happiness. His plan had clearly been successful. Everyone in attendance tonight was clearly besotted with her. He'd played his part well.

He smiled at Finkle. "Don't worry George. I plan to keep her for a little while longer."

And with that, he said goodbye to the pair and watched them disappear in the green flames.

Now the only ones left were him, Granger and Tulbridge. Well, he could remedy that easily enough.

ooo

_16/07/2010__, __22:42__, Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

Harry watched with a large smile on his face as Pansy tried to stop laughing at the story he had just told. She put her hand on her stomach and tried to control her breathing and Harry chuckled at her attempts.

Who knew that Pansy Parkinson of all people would have such infectious laughter? He was glad that he'd decided to cook tonight instead of taking her out.

He was sure that if they had been in a restaurant he would never have got to see this side of her.

There was of course the added bonus of not seeing pictures of their date splashed across the front page of the Daily Prophet again.

He saw Pansy rub at her eyes before she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. She sobered when she saw the time.

"It's late. I should get going." She said almost shyly.

Harry didn't say anything to get her to stay. He didn't want to push his luck too quickly. Instead, he nodded his head and the two of them got up off the sofa and walked to the front door.

"Thank you for inviting me tonight. I had a really good time." Pansy said.

"Well thank you for coming. I had fun too."

There was silence for two seconds before Harry leaned around her and unclicked the hatch on the door.

It swung open and Pansy stepped out into the night air. She had taken one step before Harry called out her name. She turned to face him with a questioning look.

Harry stepped forward and lightly kissed her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow." He told her.

He was rewarded with a bright smile before she apparated away.

Staring at where she'd disapparated from for a second, Harry finally shut the door.

He didn't notice a pair of hurt amber eyes watching him from the darkness. He most certainly didn't see the hurt in those eyes turn to calculating malice.

ooo

_16/07/2010__,_ _22:53__, __14 Rosebush Way__, __London_

Hermione apparated onto the front step of her home and eased her arm out of Draco's tight hold.

She turned to face him with what she hoped to be a polite smile. Truthfully she was feeling out of sorts.

The evening had been downright awkward and that was without the fact that it had been a big disappointment financially.

Draco had been acting very odd around her. Dare she say it, but if Hermione didn't know first hand how fixated he was in winning over Jennifer Rouge, she would have thought his actions were…flirtatious.

Hermione shook her head at the ridiculous idea before stopping herself when she realized Draco was standing not two feet away.

It was too close. She had to look up to see his face.

"Thank you for apparting me home but you really didn't have to." She told him.

"It was my pleasure."

His voice had taken on that rumbling quality like it had on Saturday at the ice-cream parlor. For a moment, Hermione didn't know how to respond. She was saved from having to give an embarrassing goodbye when Draco spoke.

"I am sorry that it wasn't a successful evening for you." His voice rumbled against her cheek.

Hermione smiled to cover up her movement of trying to move away from him. "It's not your fault. It was a long shot. But thank you for inviting me anyway. Goodnight."

Instead of the response she was expecting, she gasped in shock as Draco quickly dropped his head and pressed his lips against hers.

She stiffened in his arms.

ooo

_16/07/2010__, __22:43__, Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

Harry was in the process of taking the wine glasses back into the kitchen when he heard a knock on the door.

Looking around the front room, he couldn't see anything of Pansy's that she may have accidentally left behind.

Dropping the glasses onto the table he moved to open the door. "Hey, did you forg-"

His words caught in his throat as he stared at the witch on his doorstep.

"Hello Harry."

"…Ginny."

Harry was struck still as his eyes swept over the witch in front of him. His mind struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.

"What? What are you doing here?"

Instead of answering, Ginny pulled her bottom lip with her teeth invitingly. "Aren't you going to ask me in?" she asked, her tone laced with laughter.

"Oh-um of course." Harry stepped back and pulled the door open further. As Ginny swept past him, her familiar flowery scent tingled his noise.

"What are you doing here?" he asked again as he shut the door and turned to face her.

He saw Ginny's eyes drop to his crossed arms before she looked into his eyes. "I came back from Romania. I missed you. Didn't you miss me?" she asked.

Harry barely had time to think, let alone reply before Ginny brought her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to touch hers.

* * *

_Author's Note: I am so sorry it's taken me three months to update this story. I don't even have a reason why! I just couldn't write this chapter! I'm so sorry! Apologies aside, I know I don't deserve a review but I'd love to hear what you thought? The story is really starting to move along now which is good. Until next time, Curiositykils_


	16. Chapter 16

**_"You've been pushing way too hard. You've been taking things too far. Who do you think you are" The Art of Driving- Black Box Recorder (2000)_**

_16/07/2010,_ _22:56, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

Hermione stiffened instantly. For a moment, she merely stood frozen, her lips unmoving against Draco's. It was only when she felt Draco's tongue run along her bottom lip and her mouth obeying his silent command by parting slightly that her mind kicked back into gear.

Her left arm came flying upwards and instead of pushing him away as she was aiming for, it slammed straight into the side of his head.

With an audible intake of breath, Draco broke contact with her and immediately flew backwards.

Hermione stared at him with wide eyes. She was horrified; half at his actions and half at her own.

What had he been thinking? What in Merlin's name was that? Why was he kissing her?

She opened and closed her mouth twice, wishing to speak but unable to form the appropriate words as she watched Draco rub his head from where she'd hit it. He was staring back at her and to his credit; he looked suitably shocked at his actions too.

"What was that?" Hermione finally managed to choke out.

Draco looked too numb to answer. He in fact didn't reply for a few seconds. When Hermione finally saw his mouth open to answer her, she noticed a burning pain in her lungs that came from the fact that she had been holding her breath for too long. Gasping in the first breath of air since she'd detached their lips, she eased the ache in her chest. Merlin, her heart was thumping away rapidly in her chest.

It's adrenaline, Hermione told herself mentally. Because she had been so unprepared for his kiss. It wasn't because she had actually liked it. The thought startled her and sent a wave of alarming panic through her body.

"Granger-" Draco spoke.

Hermione cut him off quickly, her head shaking from side to side in denial of the thought that had just passed through her normally level-headed mind. She needed to get away from him. "I have to go." She said hurriedly as she turned her body away from him and fumbled with her keys.

"Granger- Hermione –wait-"

Hermione didn't wait. Pushing the correct key into the keyhole, she twisted it to the right and flung her front door open. Stepping inside she hurled the door close behind her without turning back to face Draco once.

Oh Merlin…she had known tonight would be a disaster.

ooo

_16/07/2010, 22:43, Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

Ginny had merely brushed her lips against his before Harry quickly jerked his head backwards. The action was halted by the tight grip Ginny had on his head and his hands quickly moved to unwrap hers from around his neck.

"Ginny…no." he said.

At the look of hurt that swam over Ginny's features, Harry felt a pang of guilt hit his stomach.

"Didn't you miss me?" she whispered quietly.

Harry had to force himself to swallow and take in a deep breath to calm his buzzing mind before he answered.

"Yes, of course I missed you Gin…but- it's been years since I last saw you. What are you doing here? When did you get back?" he asked.

Ginny merely looked at him. "Can we go inside and talk?" she said as she indicated towards his living room.

Harry hesitated. He hadn't yet cleared away the remnants of his date with Pansy and he didn't want Ginny to know that he had just finished having dinner with another witch.

"It's late Gin." He said in an effort to deflect.

Her blue eyes glazed over with tears and she morosely bent her head down to her feet and gave a slight nod.

"Right…okay. I'll just go then." She whispered hoarsely, her throat thick with tears.

Another pang hit Harry's stomach and he sighed, knowing that he was going to regret the action but seeing no other solution.

"Two minutes." He said as he lifted an arm and gestured for her to enter the living room.

Ginny sent him a wide smile in thanks and Harry couldn't help comparing it to Pansy's. Oh Merlin, Pansy- thank Godric she had left when she did, otherwise it would have been their second date that would have been ruined because of Ginny.

Harry followed his ex-girlfriend into the sitting room and held his breath as she stopped walking at the sight in front of her. Whilst he had moved most of the food back to the kitchen, the two wineglasses still stood innocently on the edge of the table and from the direction of Ginny's gaze; Harry knew she had latched onto them.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably when she didn't speak for the next five seconds. Moving around her, he stood in a position that blocked the table from her view. His arms came to cross at his chest defensively.

"So…" he said awkwardly.

"So…it's been a long time." Ginny said as her head twisted to look over the rest of the room.

"When did you get back?" Harry asked.

She turned back to face him. "A few minutes ago. I dropped off my bags and came straight to see you. I missed you."

Harry shifted uneasily from one foot to the other at her words but otherwise ignored them. "How have you been?" he asked instead.

Ginny bobbed her head. "I've been good. Romania was good- I needed to get away and…" she petered off with a shrug.

A wave of anger washed through Harry. His mind instantly wanting to demand answers from her. But he didn't.

"Charlie says hello. He's come back with me for a couple of weeks."

Harry merely nodded his head and another silence descended between them. It was broken by Ginny's sigh.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked him.

His anger snapped. "What do you want me to say Gin? You come here without Owling me- after years of ignoring me-"

"I wasn't ignoring you!" Ginny cried out as she stepped closer to him. "I needed to get away. Everything reminded me of Fred and I couldn't be here anymore."

"And you couldn't have sent me a note once during the time you were away? You couldn't have explained that to me, face to face?"

"It was too hard! I knew you wouldn't want me to go-"

"Of course I didn't want you to go! Merlin Gin- we were finally working things out- getting things back on track. I didn't want to lose you too."

"But I'm back now- we can try again. I still love you-" she said as she moved up to him.

Harry grabbed her hands and held her still. "No Gin- it's too late."

The tears finally slipped out of Ginny's eyes and Harry looked away.

"But-we can…"

He looked back at her. "No- we can't." he said strongly.

Ginny looked into his eyes for a moment. "Is there someone else?" she asked, her voice laced with steel.

Harry swallowed once. "…Yes." He finally said.

At his words, Ginny pulled her hands out of his hold and stepped back. "I waited years for you Harry." She spat out before she quickly apparated away.

It took Harry a moment before he realized what she meant. "And I waited years for you too Gin." He whispered into the empty room.

ooo

_16/07/2010, 23:02, Flat 2, Above Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Pansy Parkinson had just settled herself into bed but she knew that sleep would be a long time off. She hadn't stopped smiling since she'd apparated back from Harry's cottage and she still couldn't quite believe that it had only been a few months from when she'd thought her whole life was over.

Bending over at the waist, she reached over to the bedside table where her wand lay so she could turn off the lights. Her movements caused the duvet to shift slightly and she saw a flash of white peek out from underneath her bed.

Pulling the duvet up even more, she bent down further and with roaming hands, she latched onto the white envelope. Tilting her body back upright, she turned the envelope to see whether it had been delivered to her by mistake.

Who would be writing to her?

Pansy froze as she instantly recognized the handwriting and the smile slipped off her lips. Her wand dropped from her hand as she quickly tore the envelope open. Her eyes flashed over the letters contents in a few seconds before she quickly sat up straighter and read through the words again.

Oh Merlin…

ooo

_17/07/2010, 08:58, Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione had been sat at her desk for seventeen minutes before Padma finally arrived at her own.

At her hello, Hermione had been startled and instantly looked up into her friend's expectant eyes. Mentally she groaned at the fact that she would need to give Padma a blow by blow of the evening.

Hermione waited until Padma had sat down at her desk and checked her tray for urgent memo's before speaking.

"It was a dead end." Hermione said morosely.

Padma's face fell. "There was no-one interested?" she asked and Hermione shook her head.

Padma sighed. "Well we knew it was a long shot. Don't worry- we'll find another way." She reassured.

Hermione smiled before nodding her head and looking back down at the work in front of her.

"So…how was Malfoy?"

Hermione stiffened slightly at the mention of Draco's name. She had spent quite a few hours last night wondering what had addled Malfoy's brain enough that he would kiss her before she'd fallen into a fitful sleep.

When she'd woken this morning, she wanted to simply pretend that the whole incident had ever happened. It was difficult when she couldn't stop thinking about it. In the end she had come to work early where she'd spent the next 30 minutes debating on whether or not she should tell Padma.

"He kissed me!" she ended up blurting out. She knew she'd made the right decision when her chest felt like a weight had been lifted off it.

"He kissed you?" Padma gasped in surprise. "But? What about- _When?_"

"When he dropped me back off home."

"But Blaise said that he was in love with this other woman?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I thought so too. But then again- it is Draco Malfoy."

For a few seconds Padma said nothing in reply. "Maybe he was drunk?" she suggested weakly.

Hermione nodded her but said nothing to refute the hypothesis.

His lips certainly hadn't tasted of alcohol…

ooo

_17/07/2010, 07:47, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco was sitting contemplatively at his desk when he heard a light knock on his study door.

Knowing it was his mother he told her to come in. She opened the door quietly, slipped into the room and closed the door behind her before making her way towards him.

"Well Draco?" she asked excitedly, a smile lighting up her face.

Draco didn't know how to reply. He'd fucked up. Why in Merlin's saggy balls had he kissed her? He knew that he couldn't push her and yet…

It was all Granger's fault. She'd done something to him.

"Draco?" his mother asked again, her smile teetering off at the corners. "It didn't go well?"

"It went fine mother…but it could have gone better." He eventually said. He couldn't bring himself to admit what he'd done and how much he'd ruined everything.

He could only hope that Granger accepted the explanation he had concocted in the letter he had sent her that morning. He supposed he'd have to wait and see on how she replied before determining on how to continue.

The fact that it would all be worth it in the end was the only thing keeping Draco from not giving up entirely.

ooo

"What went wrong?" Narcissa asked shrewdly. She knew her son well and could tell he was hiding something from her.

She watched him in silence as he shuffled a few papers around his desk in deflection but she waited patiently.

Eventually he gave a loud sigh before admitting the whole truth. "I kissed her." He stated in a blank voice.

Narcissa raised her eyebrows at the fact that there was no disgust in his voice as she would have expected.

"On the cheek?" she asked tentatively.

Draco gave a sharp shake of his head and her eyes widened even further.

"And how did Miss Granger take it?" she asked carefully.

Draco scoffed. "Not well."

Narcissa mulled over what to say next. She had to be cautious. Draco was more like his father than he cared to admit and one wrong thing said from her and he would freeze up and she would get nothing out of him.

"I understood that the plan was to move gradually." She said slowly.

"It was." Draco replied through gritted teeth.

"Then why the sudden change of mind?"

There was no response.

"Draco- you don't have feelings-"

Her words were cut off rapidly. "No! Of course not. She's a Mudblood mother."

Narcissa held her breath as she realized his words were said half-heartedly.

"Draco- you must be careful-"

"I know mother. I know how important this is." Draco stated.

Narcissa didn't correct him at the misinterpretation of her words. When Draco finally looked into her eyes, she could see that he had purposely avoided the actual meaning.

"It's for the business. Nothing else." He said in a tone that hinted at the finality of the conversation.

Narcissa merely nodded her head, not wanting to push any further.

"Shall we go down to breakfast?" she said lightly instead.

Her son shook his head in the negative. "I'm not hungry this morning mother. Go on without me."

Narcissa nodded her head once before leaving the room, wondering on what she was going to tell Lucius when he asked if she'd spoken to Draco about the dinner party yet.

ooo

_17/07/2010, 17:34, 3 St James Wood, London_

Padma apparated into the living room and as always, the delicious wafts of cooking tingled her nose. She smiled in anticipation of seeing Blaise and Benji and she quickly dumped the files in her hands on the table and kicked of her heels before walking towards the kitchen.

Blaise was stood at the table drinking a glass of water while Benji was already ploughing his way through a plate of roasted rosemary and garlic chicken.

Blaise was the one to notice her first and he settled his glass on the sideboard before making his way over to her.

The smile on Padma's lips widened.

Blaise stepped close to her and with the fingers of his right hand tightly holding and tilting her chin; he settled his familiar lips over hers.

Once he'd finished welcoming her home, he broke away from her. "Hello." He whispered against her lips.

Padma lifted her eyes and stared into his dark ones. "Hi." She replied back as she took in a deep breath of air.

"Mummy!" Benji cried out from his seat.

Blaise took a step backwards so that Padma was free to walk towards him. Dropping a quick kiss on the top of his head, she settled into the chair next to his.

"And how was school today for my little man?" she asked, her hand automatically swishing and flicking to tidy up the few drops of milk he'd spilled on the table.

When she looked back at Benji, his little face was bright with excitement. "Miss Abbott said that she isn't called Miss Abbott anymore!" he told her excitedly. "She's called Mrs _Longbottom_!" Benji squealed out loudly. "She said that we have to call her Mrs Longbottom and when Gia told her that her Mummy and Daddy told her not to say bottom, Miss Abbott said it was okay because that's her _name_ now! Her name's Longbottom!"

Padma let out a loud chuckle, partly at the look on Benji's face, a mixture of awe and mischievousness, coupled with the fact that Neville and Hannah had apparently got married. She made a mental note to send Hannah some flowers in congratulations.

"Well since Mrs Longbottom is her name now then that's what you'll have to call her won't you."

Benji nodded his head twice before smiling widely and following his smile by stuffing a too large piece of chicken into his mouth.

Padma turned back to Blaise to see him stood right behind her with two steaming plates in his hand.

"You're late." He commented as he set her plate in front of her.

"I know," Padma replied as she picked up her knife and fork. "Mione and I lost track of time."

"I suppose that means that you skipped lunch too." Blaise asked with a small disapproving tone in his voice.

Padma merely smiled at the concern. "I'll eat a double lunch tomorrow to make up for it." She teased.

Blaise growled and narrowed his eyes at her in faux anger. "Since I'm picking you up for lunch tomorrow I'll be there to make sure." He told her.

Padma laughed lightly. "How was work today? Did everything go okay at the restaurant?"

Blaise nodded. "It didn't take very long for Luca to pick up the new recipe. I told him I'd be free this evening if he had any more questions or needs any help. I'm sure he'll be fine but I might head over later on to see how he's getting on. It would be good to get some first-hand feedback from the diners on what they thought."

"Oh please. They'll love it." Padma told him strongly. She'd been the so called guinea pig for Blaise's new recipe for _Cucina_ and he'd barely set the food down in front of her and Benji before it had disappeared into their stomachs.

"You love everything I cook." Blaise told her. Even though his words were accompanied with an invisible rolling of his eyes, his arrogantly proud smile warmed her insides.

"It's a good thing we're together then isn't it?" she teased back.

Blaise gave her a serious look which, after a few seconds, caused her smile to drop off slightly at the corners. Her brow furrowed in a silent question which Blaise answered by shaking his head and standing from his chair.

"Wine." He said before he turned around and walked over to get two glasses.

Padma turned her attention back to Benji when he started chattering away rapidly, giving her a blow by blow of the game he and his friends had played at break time.

Out of the corner of her eye she registered Blaise sitting back down. For some reason she found herself reaching out under the table and resting her non fork bearing hand on his thigh.

Keeping her attention on Benji and his story, she was just about to bring her hand back to her own lap when Blaise's fingers twisted around hers and squeezed gently.

Breathing out a small sigh of contentment she got back to her food.

ooo

Blaise watched Padma and Benji silently as he ate his chicken with his left hand. His right hand was still curled tightly around Padma's small one and he was loath to let go. Even if it meant she had to put down her fork every time she wanted a sip of wine or swish her wand to clean up after another spill Benji made.

He waited patiently until Benji had finished his story (the same story he'd told Blaise when they'd reached home) before he claimed Padma's attention back to him.

"There's some post for you on the side table." He said purposely, studying her reaction closely.

"Oh? Anything interesting?" She asked him back as she glanced his way before looking back towards Benji.

Blaise's brow furrowed slightly at the lazy dismissal and he opened his mouth to press her further before he caught himself.

What was he doing? He'd made his decision to wait until Padma told him the truth. What purpose did pushing her solve?

And yet Blaise couldn't seem to help himself.

When Padma had cleared away the dinner and dirty plates, Blaise played with Benji in the sitting room, one eye on his son and the other on the pile of letters lying innocently a few feet away from him.

When Padma joined them, she seemed to have forgotten about the mail and it made him all the angrier in his impatience to see her reaction to what lay in the midst of magazines and junk.

"There's your mail." Blaise said as he stood up from the sofa.

He watched Padma walk over to the small pile and start sifting through it but her back was to him.

"Anything interesting?" he asked. He'd just managed to catch himself from asking if there was anything she intended to keep.

He froze when he saw her pick out the letter- the letter from fucking Goldstein.

"Padma?" he asked again as he took a step towards her.

At the call of her name, Padma whirled around. There was a brief flash of guilt over her face before she looked back down at the letter in her hand.

Shoving it back into the pile as if to hide it, she pulled out a magazine and held the rest out to him. "The rest is rubbish." She told him. "You can chuck it away."

Blaise lifted his hand to remove the pile from her hand and when she let go and turned back to Benji, his head swam with reprieve.

He realised his hand had crumpled tightly around the bundle when he felt a sharp pain in his forefinger from where it had dug into the corner of a letter.

Taking in a deep breath, he walked into the kitchen and headed towards the bin. Afterwards, he desperately wished that he could have simply thrown the letter in the bin without opening it but he simply couldn't.

The words he read made the spark of anger that seemed to be a permanent fixture in his chest spark that much brighter.

ooo

_Padma_

_I know how stupid I've been but please don't punish me by not meeting me._

_I miss you…and Benji. You're my family. _

_We can sort this out without getting lawyers involved. _

_It's you and me!_

_I love you. _

_Anthony. _

ooo

_17/07/2010,_ _18:47, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

Hermione groaned loudly as she sank onto her bed after apparating straight into her bedroom.

Now that she was home, the tiredness that she'd been pushing away over the last few hours suddenly bore down on her.

She felt rather than saw Crookshanks leap onto her bed and pad over to her. His head butted against her hand a few times, demanding to be petted after being left alone for the day. With a loud sigh and mumble, Hermione lifted her hand which seemed to weigh a ton and stroked behind Crookshanks' ears until his loud purrs resonated around her bedroom.

Hermione smiled as her stomach rumbled. Well, at least one of them was content. Her hand dropped back to her side as the idea that she would need to cook dinner washed over her.

Even the two minutes it would take to make a cup of tea and two slices of cheese on toast seemed like too much of an effort at the moment.

A telling pang kicked off behind her eyes and Hermione turned to her side. She knew she should have left when Padma had but even though she had promised her friend that she would apparate out of the office not a minute later than she had, that minute had turned into over an hour.

Now the headache that was looming over the horizon was the price she had to pay.

Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she willed the pain away. Pinching between her eyes, she simply watched the bursts of colour behind her eyes before her stomach rumbled again.

Sighing again, she forced herself into an upright position and with great difficulty, took off her jumper and unravelled the pantyhose around her legs.

The cool of the tiles in the kitchen felt surprisingly good against her feet and as she waved her wand to put the kettle on she leafed through the mail in her box.

Her entire body seemed to jerk awake when she found a letter bearing the Malfoy family crest.

An uncomfortable feeling settling in her stomach, Hermione debated on whether she had the energy to waste on reading Draco's letter- whatever it held.

The kettle pierced the silence as it let out its steam and Hermione turned away from the letter.

Right now all she needed was to drink some tea, eat some toast and cuddle up with Crookshanks in front of the television in order to watch a film that didn't require any effort to follow it.

Draco Malfoy and his letter could wait until tomorrow.

* * *

_Author's Note: Hides face in shame...I'm so sorry for how long I've made you wait for this chapter. If you read my author updates on my profile page you'll know why I've been struggling with the chapter and the story in general. I can only reiterate the fact that I will never be abandoning this story and that updates will be coming your way. Thank you for reading and until next time whether it be for this story or Meus Contraho, Curiositykils.  
_


	17. Chapter 17

**_"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month" Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)_**

_17/07/2010,_ _19:29 The Burrow, Devon_

Molly Weasley looked around the dinner table and smiled broadly. She had longed for this day for years. Ever since the aftermath of the war that had scattered her family all over the world. But here they were once again, seated around her dinner table, their stomachs full of proper food that she had spent the day cooking (or almost full in the case of her Ronald who was still spooning food into his mouth) and laughter flowing around the room.

She looked fondly over all her children and her grandchild, etching their faces into her memory so she would be able to pull this image up for years to come. George preforming small magic tricks to a delighted Victoire, Bill and Fleur talking quietly, Charlie regaling Arthur with tales of his work and then there was Ginny. Her precious daughter seated only a few seats away from her and looking at her ever hungry older brother in laughing disgust.

Molly's smile widened for a moment before she realised the empty spaces around the table. Would Hermione have been here she would have no doubt been talking to Charlie enthusiastically about his dragons…and Harry…he would have been seated next to Ginny allowing Molly to watch them reconnect.

She wasn't sure of the full extent of Harry, Ron and Hermione's argument but she knew two things for definite. The argument had been to do with Harry's casual relationship with Parkinson and that relationship had caused a rift to tear apart her close family when nothing else ever had.

"A toast."

Molly looked from her only daughter to her husband. His wine glass was raised in the air and he was glancing around the table. Molly lifted her own glass as the other occupants of the room followed suit.

"To Charlie and Ginny. We missed you and words cannot express how happy we are to have you back home again."

Molly smiled at Arthur's warm words before taking a large sip of wine as other's around the table called out "Hear Hear."

She let the fruity taste tingle at her tongue before she swallowed. "Ginny dear, have you managed to catch up with Hermione or Harry yet?" she asked casually.

Conversation around the table died down as every eye turned to look at the young red-headed woman.

"I haven't seen Hermione yet but I did manage to catch up with Harry last night."

Excitement churned in Molly's stomach as she struggled not to burst from happiness. "Oh?" she said instead.

"I went around after we got back last night."

"I'm sure he was happy to see you dear." Molly said. Her gaze was so intent on Ginny that she missed the raised eyebrows from a few others.

"I wouldn't exactly say that." She hedged.

Molly's smiled dropped slightly.

"Your sudden appearance must have been something of a…surprise for Harry. You can't blame him for being shocked. It's been a long time since you last saw each other." Arthur said.

Ginny scoffed. "I think it was the fact that it was me at the door and not _Parkinson_ that was a surprise to him."

Molly reeled at the information. "What do you mean dear?"

Ginny turned towards her. "All evidence suggested that they had just finished having a very pleasant date if the snog at the door was anything to go by."

"A date…A kiss." Molly repeated dumbly.

"How can he be dating her of all people? After everything- don't tell me that you're all okay with this?"

"Of course we aren't bloody alright with it. It's Parkinson," Ron spat her name out in disgust and Molly found herself agreeing with her youngest son's words, "Harry's gone crazy to even consider seeing her outside of work."

"They _work_ together?" Ginny asked.

"I believe Pansy is a clerical in the Auror department." Fleur supplied.

Ginny simply shook her head. "How long have they been…seeing each other?"

"It hasn't been very long. The papers picked it up pretty quickly though." George answered.

Ginny turned to her brother. "Did you know about this?" she asked Charlie.

He shook his head dumbly. "It's the first I'm hearing of it. Is Parkinson the witch?"

"The witch from Slytherin." Ginny said in disgust.

"The witch who bullied Hermione mercilessly from our first day at Hogwarts." Ron added.

"The witch who offered Harry up on a silver platter for you know who." Molly completed.

"Harry believes Miss Parkinson has changed," Bill continued despite Ron's audible snort of derision, "And he is a grown man who makes his own decisions."

"You mean his own mistakes." Molly corrected, "For that's what this entire situation is." She said with a shaking head.

"Regardless of our own opinions, Harry is a member of this family and he deserves to have us stand by him. Miss Parkinson may surprise us but if she proves you right, then that it is when we will help him move on." Arthur interjected.

"Sit back and do nothing?" Ginny confirmed aghast. "I don't think so. Mum- you can't agree?" She pleaded.

"What I don't understand is how he can go from having such strong feelings for Ginny to seeing that…tart of a witch."

A smile curled at Ginny's plump lips. "I don't believe that his feelings have fully disappeared yet."

Bill looked at his sister sharply. "What do you mean?"

Ginny shrugged innocently before sharing a meaningful look with Molly that caused a flicker of hope to remain alight in her chest.

"Out of respect for Harry I believe we should take a step back from the situation." Bill said.

"You mean not interfere!" George said laughingly.

Bill looked at his brother but kept quiet. Molly waved his words away, a plan forming in her mind.

"Like Arthur said, Harry is a member of this family and if Miss Parkinson is going to be a part of his life, she is eventually going to be a part of ours."

"What exactly are you suggesting?" her husband asked slowly.

She merely smiled at him. "Why she and Harry should come around for dinner of course. That way we can get to know her better."

Her announcement was met with a variety of expressions. Acceptance, disbelief, anger and a shared look of anticipation between mother and daughter.

It was time this problem between Harry and Ginny was straightened out and the only way to open up Harry's eyes was to show him how out of place _that_ witch was in her family.

ooo

_18/07/2010,_ _09:04 __Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione Granger was facing a dilemma. A dilemma that she considered to be of epic proportions. A dilemma that she was not looking forward to dealing with but knew she needed to as soon as possible.

It was a dilemma involving Draco Malfoy.

When she had woken up this morning, she had been in that all too familiar sleepy daze where all was right in the world. She had a lovely job where she had garnered enough funds for her upcoming trip and she had no other problems. The sleep had rubbed off once she'd caught sight of Malfoy's unopened letter.

Unfortunately two more letters had been delivered throughout the night, or this morning, one ominously bearing the annoyingly familiar Malfoy crest.

She had decided to open the other letter from Andromeda first. She had smiled when she had read that Andromeda's meeting with Malfoy's mother had gone so well that they were planning on meeting again on Sunday morning for brunch. Her smile had grown when she had read that Andromeda had wondered if she would be free to look after Teddy again. And then it had all gone wrong. Apparently Teddy had been so impressed by his new Uncle Draco that he hadn't been able to talk about anyone else and since things were going well between Andromeda and Narcissa, Andromeda wondered if Hermione's "friend" would be free on Sunday morning too.

Hermione was torn. She had no pressing need to ever see Malfoy again but this was the first time she had seen Teddy so excited and depriving him of a relationship with his family when he had already lost so much, irked her.

And so she had grudgingly opened the two letters from Malfoy. The gist of them both was the same. He apologised for his actions and he would very much like to see Hermione to explain and generally make amends.

Hermione's first thought was to throw the letters away but then her conscience popped into her head. Strangely it was in the form of Teddy and she'd simply shoved the letters under a book before writing back to Andromeda that she would love to look after Teddy.

But the dilemma remained. What did she do about Malfoy?

ooo

_18/07/2010,_ _09:10 __Ministry of Magic Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

"Here's where you've been hiding." Pansy said as she turned the corner to see Harry walking towards her.

She smiled brightly at him, looking forward to talking to him for a few minutes. She faltered slightly in her steps when she saw the shocked look on his face but he quickly smiled and she continued her speedy gait up to him.

Kingsley had given Harry yesterday off to recover from his training and so this was the first time she was seeing him since their date on Wednesday. Her stomach was wriggling with excitement as her brain spun on whether he would suggest another date for this weekend.

"Hey." He said as he came to stop before her.

Pansy wasn't entirely sure if she was expecting a peck on the cheek or a hug but she felt slightly bereft at his easy greeting. The next second she admonished herself. They were at work for Merlin's sake. Of course he didn't want to set tongues wagging by acting familiar with her when anyone could see them.

"How have you been? All rested up?" she asked lightly.

Harry laughed. Was it just her or did it sound strained? She shook her head. He was probably still tired. Of what he had told her of his training on Wednesday night, she would have needed to sleep for a month if she had been in his shoes.

"I'm glad it's Friday, let's put it that way." He joked.

Pansy smiled. The two stared at each other for a few awkward moments. She desperately wanted to tell him how much fun she'd had on their date but she had always been taught that a good pureblood witch held her tongue and left such things to wizards. How mortified would she be if she raised the subject only to find that Harry had changed his mind about seeing her again?

"I received a letter in the post yesterday evening."

Pansy took a second to adapt to the change in conversation. "Oh?"

"It was from Molly. She's invited us around for a family dinner."

"And by us you mean…you?" Pansy asked, not able to quite keep the hopeful inflection out of her sentence.

Harry smiled. "By us I mean us." He said before waiting for her response.

She hesitated. She knew how important the Weasley's were to Harry but the thought of spending an evening with the whole lot of them didn't just cause her to be nervous. It downright terrified her.

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" she eventually said.

Harry stepped closer to her and she momentarily went dizzy as she smelt his soapy scent.

"I think it's a great idea. It gives you all a chance to start again on a clean slate. And once you get to know the Weasley's you'll love them."

There was no way she could say no... And so she agreed. Harry's broad smile at her acceptance wasn't enough to make her feel as if she wasn't making a terrible mistake.

"You'll have to give me a tutorial before we go." She told him. She knew Ron Weasley, Molly Weasley and Arthur Weasley but she couldn't bring up the names of any of the others and she felt the need to make a good impression. That would hardly be possible if she mistakenly called them all by the wrong names.

And then a thought clicked at her. "Is Weasley going to be there?" she asked cautiously.

"You'll have to be a bit more specific than that." Harry teased.

Pansy smiled. "Your…" she broke off before she realised what she had been about to say. She shook her head. "Sorry, I meant Ginny. You mentioned that she was going to be coming back soon."

Harry's face seemed to shut down so quickly that Pansy actually found herself taking a step back at the cold mask she saw over his face.

Something flashed through his eyes as she struggled to find something to say.

"I think she's back." He eventually said.

Pansy nodded. So not only would she be facing the full Weasley clan, she would have to deal with any lingering feelings of when Harry saw Ginny again or vice versa and Mrs Weasley's matchmaking schemes of which she was sure there would be plenty.

"When is the dinner?" she asked.

Harry seemed to come out of his dark mood slightly. "In a few days. Don't worry; you'll have plenty of time to do a little revision."

Pansy laughed anxiously.

"I should go. I have to see Kingsley and give him my feedback." Harry said.

Pansy nodded her head as she took a further step back in order to compose herself. "Okay, I'll see you later?" she said forwardly.

"Definitely." Harry replied before giving her one last smile.

Pansy watched him walk away from her and as she watched him go she came to a decision, he was most definitely worth sitting through a dinner with the Weasley's for.

ooo

_18/07/2010,_ _12:01 __Ministry of Magic Level 1, 117 Euston Road, London_

Blaise had apparated into the Atrium of the Ministry five minutes ago. He was leaning against the far end of the wall from where the elevators were although his eyes remained fixed on them, waiting impatiently for Padma to step out.

He had originally planned to take her out for lunch as he usually did. Either Cucina or another restaurant he knew she liked. His good mood had vanished when he'd spotted another plain white envelope addressed to her when he had popped home at ten to get the account books.

He hadn't thought twice about magicking the letter open with a wave of his wand to see what the bastard had written to her this time.

There were more loved up phrases. The word "family" was bandied around a few more times. But what had got him so angry was the fact that the bastard had referred to him, Padma and Benji as a "real" family.

What in Merlin's balls did he know what a "real" family was? He hadn't been there when Padma was in labour at St Mungo's. He hadn't been there for the early morning feedings. He hadn't fucking been there to be worried sick whenever Benji was ill.

And what was he still writing to Padma for? Had she been getting other letters from him that she was replying too?

The questions had raced through his mind for a good five minutes. Ugly scenarios that always ended in the same way. With Padma and Benji leaving him. Legally what rights did he have? He might think he was Benji's father and Benji might think he was his son but no formal adoption had taken place. It was simply a given that he was Benji's Dad. And what about Padma- yes they'd been together for over five years but he wasn't her husband.

She could leave him so easily…

He had to know more. He had to know what her reaction would be to the letter.

It wasn't long before he saw the elevator doors open and Padma step out. He saw her lift slightly on her toes so she could see over the throng of people. Her eyes swept across the floor, never once landing on him.

When he saw her heading towards the benches to wait, evidently thinking he had not yet arrived, he straightened from the wall and walked over to her.

"Looking for me?" he asked as he stepped over to her.

She looked up and smiled. Taking his offered hand, she stood from her seat as he leaned his head down to kiss her. He broke away after a few seconds. The look on her face mirrored the disappointment he was feeling inside.

Waiting until she had gathered up her bag from the bench he spoke, "I thought we could eat at home for once."

The little crinkle that appeared between her eyebrows was the only indication that she found his offer unusual. But she accepted it with a small shrug, a smile and an okay and fifteen seconds later they were both sitting at their dining table.

He had conveniently placed the resealed envelope and the other post next to her usual seat at the table and while he served up their lunch, he kept one eye on the food and another on her.

He refused to divert from the norm and pester her about the post, knowing she usually sorted through it after dinner. His piercing stare on the back of her head must have had some effect as after a few moments he watched her turn towards the post and idly finger through it. She visibly froze when she got to Goldstein's letter, her hand trembling slightly as she picked up the letter and hesitated, obviously unwilling to open the letter in his presence.

Carrying both of their plates, he walked over to her. "Here you go," he said as he set her plate down in front of her.

She immediately dropped the letter as if it had scolded her and she quickly moved a catalogue to cover it from his view.

"Wine." He asked steely through gritted teeth. She was still too distracted by the letter to notice his tone of voice. It was his hovering that alerted her to the fact he had asked her something.

"Oh sorry, I spaced out for a moment."

Blaise breathed out a breath. "Would you like a glass of wine?" he asked in a more normal tone of voice.

"Wine? Oh no, I'll stick with juice."

He furrowed his eyebrows at her choice of drink. "Are you feeling well? Do you have a headache?" he asked, concern creeping into his tone.

Padma shook her head. "Oh no, I just have a lot to get through this afternoon with Mione. Thought I should keep a clear head."

Blaise nodded at the explanation before he moved to pour his glass of wine and her some of Benji's apple juice.

Throughout their hour lunch, the white envelope seemed to burn through the table.

ooo

_18/07/2010,_ _13:17 __The Leaky Cauldron, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione stared at Harry in shock. The hand that was halfway to her mouth dropped back to the table, her fork clanging loudly on her plate.

"Oh…wow."

Harry nodded his head.

"I got an Owl from Molly as well but I just thought that Ron had got over you and Pansy…I didn't think they would have invited the two of you over to dinner."

"You're telling me. I could hardly say no though."

"Is Ron going to be there?"

"I assume so."

"Do you think he'll…act appropriately?"

"He better." Harry all but growled.

"What about Ginny? Do you think you'll see her before then? It's going to be even more awkward if you see her for the first time with you bringing another witch, let alone Pansy for dinner."

Harry flushed. He had always told Hermione everything, knowing that she would never judge him and always offer help and assistance, but something had kept his mouth shut regarding Ginny's little visit.

And five minutes ago, something else had struck him causing fear to fill in his chest. What happened if Ginny let out that she had visited Harry as soon as she had come back? Not only would Hermione know he had lied but so would Pansy after his making out earlier that he didn't know if Ginny was back in the country or not.

"Well from what it sounds like, you've at least got a few people around the dinner table that are on your side."

Harry nodded thankful for the fact. Aside from Hermione he was sure he could count on Arthur, Bill and Fleur to act civilly enough. Maybe he could do some discreet arranging so that Pansy was sat in between him and Hermione with Bill and Fleur opposite them.

Maybe he could arrange it so that Ginny and Ron were sat the furthest away from them.

A wizard could only hope!

"So there's under two weeks left until your birthday. Have you thought anymore on what you want?" Hermione asked.

Harry stopped eating and looked at her sternly. "I most definitely do not want to make a huge fuss. Something small." He told her.

Seeing the light in Hermione's eyes he continued hastily. "And by small I mean small." He confirmed. "You, me, maybe Ron, maybe Pansy, just some dinner somewhere. That's it. No extravagant presents and most definitely no birthday parties."

"But…"

"No Mione." He laughed. "After last year's spectacle I want a quiet birthday."

"It was most definitely not my fault that your last birthday got a little out of hand. There were just a few more people present than I had anticipated."

"Mione, there were so many people I couldn't even fit them into my house. You told the caterers to supply enough food for ten, possibly twelve…Not a hundred." He teased.

Harry watched his friend's cheeks turn red.

"Honestly Harry, there were not a hundred people present…And I don't believe it was the lack of food that was the problem."

"No…it was the free flowing drink."

Harry had to supress his laugh at the glowing beacons that had now replaced Mione's cheeks.

"I came around the next morning to help you clear up." She said with an indignant sniff as she sipped her water.

This time Harry couldn't help but laugh. "And I suggest you remember the carnage before you plan another birthday party."

ooo

_18/07/2010,_ _14:13 __Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione was in the middle of going through some of her latest research when she remembered Padma's letter.

She straightened from her chair as her hand reached out to rummage in her top drawer. Fishing the envelope out, she held it across her table and waved it in Padma's face.

"This came for you early but it was marked private and confidential so I put it in my drawer."

Padma looked up from her own work, first directing her glance to Hermione before it fell to the letter. She took in a deep breath before taking it from Hermione's hands.

"Anything important?" Hermione asked as she caught sight of Padma's suddenly pale face.

A smile tried and failed to hide the woman's nervousness. "Oh no." she said with transparent gusto as she all but shoved the letter into her bag, "It's probably nothing." She dismissed before she looked back down and continued to work.

Hermione looked at Padma for a few more seconds, a small frown marring her forehead before she simply shrugged off her colleague's strange behaviour and got back to work herself.

There was a lot to get through.

Unfortunately Padma's letter cast her mind back to her own correspondence. In particular, two letters that were still stuffed underneath a book on her corner table.

Hermione sighed out loud before making a vow to reply to them tonight.

ooo

_18/07/2010,_ _15:30 __3 St James Wood, London_

Blaise set Benji down on the floor of the kitchen and watched the little boy dump his schoolbag onto the nearest chair before running into the sitting room.

Benji had made him promise that they would be able to watch the latest final of the Wizarding Quidditch cup again and was no doubt eagerly getting the pensieve ready with the right memory.

Blaise walked over to the cupboards in order to get Benji his snack. As he placed a few biscuits and slices of apple on a plate, his eyes fell on the innocent pile of post that remained from lunch.

Brushing his hands with the napkin, he picked up the plate before walking over to the pile. With a flick of his hand, the neat pile fell and fanned out.

The envelope from Goldstein was missing.

Blaise had to take in a deep breath in order to get some air into his lungs. He hadn't left the kitchen when Padma had come home from lunch and so she had never had the chance to even glance at the envelope again.

Which could only mean one thing. She had apparated home sometime after lunch and taken the letter.

ooo

_18/07/2010,_ _21:49 __Ministry of Magic Level 1, 117 Euston Road, London_

The atrium of the Ministry of Magic was quiet so late at night. Many that graced it's halls throughout the day; witches, wizards and creatures alike had all departed home after a hard day's work.

The lack of bustle meant every eye turned when a popping sound was heard at the international apparition point.

When a handsome man in his mid to late twenties appeared in the atrium, the two gentlemen who had been talking in hushed tones in the far corner of the space stopped their conversation midway, their attention fully turned on the man's dark, dangerous face.

A woman who had been struggling with an armful of folders stopped in her path and gave up juggling with her papers. Dumping them haphazardly onto a nearby bench she drank in the man's features, knowing she would be able to recount them fully when she saw her best friend for dinner in an hour's time.

And as for the handsome man, he noticed the hushed stares but simply ignored them. He was in England for one reason and one reason only. Stepping out of the apparition point, he walked out of the Ministry and into the warm Summer air.

He had a runaway bride to catch.

ooo

"_**I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me." J.K. Rowling Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)**_

* * *

_Author's Note: I know-I've been an evil meanie! Feel free to throw rotten tomatoes at me! Six months worth- I deserve it. I kind of lost my way with writing fanfiction for a while but I'm slowly beginning to get ideas popping back into my head like before so that can only be a good thing. Writing this chapter has slowly caused my excitement regarding this story to creep back in so I'll try my hardest to write as much as possible in a bid to overcome this rut. If you read this chapter I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for not giving up on me. Until next time, Curiositykils. _


	18. Chapter 18

**_One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all. _**

**_One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego._**

_**The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."**_

_**The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"**_

_**The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."**_

ooo

_19/07/2010,_ _07:32, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

The deed was done. The awful deed Hermione should say.

As she watched the owl get smaller and smaller as it flew into the distance, she couldn't help but feel she was sealing her fate. But then an image of Teddy's delighted face would come into her head and she would tell herself in her best Professor McGonagall's voice that she had no right doubting a situation that would bring a beaming smile to the little boy's face.

After her letter to Malfoy she had debated writing a short note to Andromeda to inform Teddy's of Malfoy's presence but she had decided against it. She was secretly hoping that Malfoy would be busy and decline her offer to spend Saturday morning with her and Teddy.

And there was the voice again.

Sighing, Hermione turned away from the window and sipped her tea. Crookshanks wound himself around her legs and carefully balancing the full mug, she reached down to rub at his ears.

She allowed his loud purrs to reverberate through the room before she straightened and moved into the kitchen.

Her stomach didn't show any sign of settling down and surprisingly the tea wasn't helping so she quickly poured it down the sinkhole.

Maybe it would be better if she simply apparated to work early? That way at least her mind would be off Sunday's impending doom.

ooo

_19/07/2010,_ _08:42, 3 St John's Wood, London_

Blaise walked through the bathroom to find Padma sat on their bed, her back to him as she fiddled around with something in her purse.

Once again a pang hit his lower stomach. She was sitting just meters away from him and yet he felt as if she was further away from him than ever.

Stalking up towards her, his feet making no noise as they sunk into the plush carpet, he quietly leaned over the bed before attacking her neck softly with his lips.

She jumped like a scalded cat, narrowly missing his eye with her shoulder but he simply altered his position and continued. Her neck twisted to the side so she could look at him and he moved to kiss the lips that were now in reach.

Licking and sucking her particularly plump bottom lip into his hungry mouth he allowed his ministrations to continue until the earlier pang in his stomach was replaced by something else entirely.

"Morning." He said once a few moments had passed by and her hands had begun to creep up his body to clutch at his shoulders. He moved back and watched her closed eyes open slowly with a smug smile.

Catching sight of it she hit him lightly on the chest before replying. "Morning."

"Had a good night's sleep?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

He watched her cheeks blush as his words caused her mind to remember the previous evening's lovemaking. He hadn't been able to sate his desires or soothe his worries until well into the early hours of the morning and had only stopped until she had breathlessly begged him that she couldn't take anymore.

It had taken every bit of strength in him to not cross the line as he had previously. He had however walked a thin line on a few instances, although Padma hadn't seemed to have minded if her reactions were anything to go by.

"Do you think you'll make it home early tonight?" he asked as he leaned back over the bed and walked over to his closet.

Picking out his clothes for the day, he walked back over to her.

"Merlin, I hope so." She groaned out loud. "I've been so knackered lately."

Blaise felt a small stirring of guilt for keeping her awake for so long last night. "You've been working too hard." He said as he put his arms through the sleeves of his shirt before walking around to her.

Raising a hand, he cupped the back of her neck and massaged lightly. Padma slumped beneath his fingers, her head falling forward in order to rest against his bare stomach.

"You're too good with your hands. It's not fair." She all but whimpered against his skin.

Blaise smiled at the familiar tease. She often mentioned the fact when she saw the things he could cook but sometimes the phrase would extend into the bedroom.

Rubbing the base of her scalp a few more times, he moved to cup her cheek and raise her face upwards. Studying it critically he noticed the faint shadows beneath her eyes and ran the base of his thumb across one.

She simply closed her eyes and nuzzled his hand, letting out a heavy sigh with it.

"Is there something bothering you?" he asked openly.

He waited with a breath held tightly in his chest. He had finally said the words. Words that she could answer honestly and let him know the truth.

Only the answer didn't come as quickly as he had hoped. She leant her head slightly more onto his hand for a few more seconds before straightening herself back upright. Her eyes flickered from gazing into his to his chest before she spoke. "No, nothing…Just work." She said before looking back up at him.

He merely looked at her for a few more seconds before taking pity on her. Nodding his head once at her explanation he stepped back and away from her. In the next second she had taken to fishing in her bag again and he walked back to where he had left the rest of his clothes.

"I should go. I promised Vati I'd be early." Padma said as she stood, her hand swinging to move her bag up to her shoulder.

He looked at her for a moment before making himself walk over to her. Bringing her forward so she was leaving heavily on him, he hugged her strongly.

His only saving grace was that she was squeezing him as tightly as he was her.

ooo

_19/07/2010,_ _09:12, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Narcissa Malfoy stepped onto the Manor's vast grounds. The cool breeze tickled her bare arms and brought the sweet smell of the roses that were blooming wonderfully towards her.

Looking over the green area, she spotted her son immediately. In his usual dark coloured clothing he cut a stark solitary figure in an otherwise bright landscape. That was apart from the trademark flaxen hair that was bouncing back the sun's rays.

Slowly, she made her way over to him. The albino peacocks roaming the grounds squawked at her presence, alerting Draco that he was no longer alone with his thoughts.

She watched him turn around, shoulders tense at the intrusion before he lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. Once he realised who she was his hand dropped from its raised position and he waited patiently for her to come to him.

Narcissa increased the speed of her gait. She hadn't managed to talk to Draco regarding his situation with Miss Granger yesterday and seeing his hidden smile at breakfast this morning she had just about been able to hold in her questions.

She knew Draco would not appreciate replying to her questions in front of Lucius and so she had strained to keep conversation superficial.

She sighed at how tensed her family now was. They had been so close when Draco had been a young boy. Lucius had been a caring and loving father before Voldemort and his Dark Mark had poisoned his mind. She remembered days spent lazing on the Malfoy grounds as she watched Lucius and Rodolphus playing Quidditch as Draco toddled around on chubby legs, his arms outstretched as he tried to get his father to lift him from the grass so he could join him in the sky. Narcissa laughed aloud lightly when she remembered having to comfort Draco and wipe his tears when Lucius had told him he was too young to play Quidditch with them.

The smile slipped off her face at a realisation. She was losing her son.

She and Draco had always had a close bond with her ability to glimpse at his handsome face and know what he was feeling or thinking in a split second but nowadays…he seemed so cold and emotionless. The war had caused a harsh mask to permanently hide his face and she was having more and more trouble lifting it to see her son underneath.

She thanked Merlin that she had chosen that particular second this morning to glimpse at Draco's face whilst Lucius was reading the paper or she would have completely missed his mysterious smile.

"Mother." Draco greeted as she came within a few feet of him.

"Draco." she smiled. "Mind if I join you this morning?" she asked for the sake of politeness. She had no intention of leaving if he gave her a negative answer.

Draco's raised eyebrow made her aware that he saw through her courtesy. "Of course not." He said before sticking out his elbow.

Narcissa latched onto it with a wider smile and rubbed his arm fondly. They headed to the worn path that would lead them around the Malfoy estate. A walk which was long enough for her to extract all the necessary information to feed her curiosity.

"From your mood this morning I take it things have taken a turn for the better with Miss Granger?" she asked.

She watched Draco nod. "I was unsure if she would answer my Owls but it seems your brunch with Andromeda has benefitted me."

Narcissa frowned and he continued. "She has asked Hermione to look after Teddy and it seems Teddy has been asking about me."

Draco said the last portion of the sentence with a confused frown marring his face but Narcissa was more preoccupied with the first half.

"I hadn't realised Andromeda was so close with Miss Granger." she said in a quiet tone.

"I believe she sees Granger as Teddy's honorary godmother since that it was her daughter had planned. Unfortunately she and Lupin didn't officially ask Granger before the War broke out and she disappeared."

The new information caused Narcissa to bite at her lower lip (a habit from childhood that should have long been ironed out). She was just rebuilding her relationship with her sister and this plan of Draco's, whilst beneficial, could cause damage to her fragile bond with Andromeda.

"You're worried that my plan when completed will cause strain on your relationship with Andromeda." Draco stated.

Narcissa smile wanly. Apparently it was only her ability to read Draco that had declined in the last few years.

Sighing, she nodded her head.

"She will not find out. Granger and I will only be dating for a few short months and then the coalition will break down naturally. She will not know my reasons for beginning a friendship with Granger."

Narcissa nodded her head again at the rationalisation but she still felt something uncomfortable in the pit of her stomach. When she saw Andromeda on Sunday she would be lying by omission. She would be marring their relationship on only their second visit together.

She felt Draco squeeze her hand and looked back at him. "Do not worry mother. It will all work out in the end."

Narcissa nodded her head as she believed in what her son told her. Deciding to put the unlikely scenario of Andromeda ever finding out their plan to one side, she moved onto a slightly different topic.

"Have you planned on how you are going to apologise to Miss Granger on Sunday? Where are you meeting her and Teddy?"

"The park where I met her the last time," he replied with a frown. Narcissa knew what he was thinking. That if he wasn't playing Quidditch in the sun then there was no reason to be out in it. "Initially I had thought of plying her with the usual flowers and chocolates but I've been thinking over the apology during the last two days. I think she would appreciate an outright apology with no extra frills."

Narcissa breathed out a sigh of relief. From what she had seen of Miss Granger over the years, she didn't seem like an especially material girl.

"I think that would be best. Will you be spending the entire morning together?"

"Granger invited me over at ten thirty. Her note hinted at the fact that Teddy would enjoy spending time with me at the park but I'm sure she will be taking him out to eat lunch somewhere and I fully intend to join them."

Narcissa smiled at Draco's arrogance and stubbornness. The arrogance he got from Lucius but the stubbornness, well that was all from her, she thought proudly.

"Have you found anything in common to discuss with her?" Narcissa suggested gently.

"…No." he admitted with a stumped look across his face.

Narcissa also frowned. She knew how vital flowing conversation was but even she didn't know what Draco could discuss with Miss Granger. Their lives were so different. The way they had grown up, their years at Hogwarts, their lives since the War had ended - there were no similarities.

For a brief moment she entertained the idea of using Andromeda as a source of information but she dismissed it as easily as she had thought of it. Not only would it cause the feeling in the pit of her stomach to get worse but she would have no idea just how to bring up Miss Granger in conversation without Andromeda getting suspicious. Not to mention it would be too late to help Draco.

Once again she experienced that horrible feeling no mother should have to feel. Helplessness in her inability to help her only child. She had felt it too many times in her life.

Draco would face this hurdle alone. Just like many other's he'd already faced.

ooo

_20/07/2010,_ _10:54 14 Rosebush Way, London_

Hermione was ready to curse whoever was in a bad mood at the Magical Maintenance Department.

Yesterday had been a day filled with glorious sunshine and today…the heavens had opened to let down a monsoon that would not have been out of place in a tropical storm. She had been forced to Owl Malfoy and let him know that she and Teddy would now be spending the day at her home.

He had Owl'd her back letting him know that he was looking forward to it.

Hermione had cursed out loud at his reply. She had hoped that he would have declined her earlier invitation since they would be spending a few hours in such close proximity. Something that she was most definitely not comfortable with. But it didn't seem to have bothered him in the slightest.

She had left Teddy on the sofa watching a children's cartoon as she'd paced nervously in the kitchen. Draco should be apparating here anytime now and she had no clue as to how he would react. To her or to Teddy.

As soon as Andromeda had dropped him off fifteen minutes ago, the first words out of his mouth had been to ask if Uncle Draco would be coming.

When she'd replied in the affirmative, the look on his face was as if all his Christmases had come at once.

There was a knock on the front door and Hermione was startled out of her thoughts.

"Uncle Draco's here!" she heard Teddy shout excitedly from the other room. Hermione smoothed out the invisible creases on her top and skirt before she walked out of the kitchen.

She passed the sitting room where Teddy now had an unsure look on his face as he hovered half hidden at the doorway, gazing worriedly between the closed door and her.

She smiled reassuringly at him as she walked past him before pausing at the door in order to take in a deep breath. Pasting a neutral smile on her face she swung it open.

Malfoy looked as ominous as ever in his dark clothes but she ignored it and merely smiled at him politely.

"Malfoy, hello." She said as she opened the door further and stepped away so he could enter.

"Hello." He responded as he entered her home.

Hermione closed the door after which she walked around him and led him into the sitting room. Well she assumed he would follow her, now that he was here she was suddenly feeling shy about looking or talking to him.

She wasn't the only one. As soon as she stepped into the sitting room, Teddy attached himself to the back of her legs, his usual shyness making an appearance. Focusing her attention on him so she could avoid looking at Malfoy, she smiled at him warmly as she ran a comforting hand down his back.

"Teddy, aren't you going to say hello to Uncle Draco?" she said.

Teddy's head popped around her legs long enough for him to say his hello quietly before he disappeared again.

Hermione had no choice but to look at Malfoy to see what his reaction was. He was looking at Teddy with a small frown on his face but thankfully he kept quiet.

"How about we finish watching your program?" she asked Teddy.

She felt more than saw the nod of his head. Shuffling towards the sofa since Teddy didn't seem to want to let go of her legs, she indicated with her hands for Draco take a seat. Thankfully he chose the armchair instead of joining them on the sofa.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched his eyes flick around the room and she wondered what he was thinking. As she had expected, his eyes lingered over certain areas of the room; the television and the phone as well as the many pictures adorning the mantelpiece around the fireplace.

"You have a nice home." Malfoy commented. His tone suggested otherwise. She gritted her teeth, assuming he was thinking the place was too small for his tastes but she glanced at him long enough to say thank you.

He turned to look at her. "It's a shame it's raining. I had fun in the park the other day."

Instead of replying, Hermione turned to Teddy. "You had fun playing Quidditch with Uncle Draco too didn't you?" she asked him.

Teddy gave a solitary nod, his gaze sliding to look at Malfoy for a brief moment before they quickly moved back to the television.

Having no other choice, Hermione turned back to face Malfoy. "How have you been?" she asked politely.

He nodded his head. "I've been good." He glanced towards Teddy in hesitation before continuing, "I wanted to apologise about what happened."

Hermione sat up straight in her seat. "It's fine." She blurted out in a bid to get him to stop talking.

He didn't. "No it wasn't. I had no right and I apologise."

Hermione quickly nodded her head, accepting his apology even though she didn't really want to. Hoping that would be the end of the conversation she held her breath when he opened his mouth to continue it.

"Not to give you an excuse but I'd just received some bad news and wasn't thinking straight."

Hermione felt compelled to say "Oh?"

"I received an Owl from Jennifer telling me that she would enjoy going to dinner with me."

Hermione frowned. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

She watched a wry smirk form on his face. "It seems she heard of my business ventures before she even considered replying to me."

The frown on Hermione's forehead evened out. "Oh." She said again, unsure of what else to say. "…I'm sorry." She told him eventually.

Malfoy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

The musical credits began to roll on her television, saving her from dallying on the subject anymore. Keeping the TV on since they desperately needed something to break the silence she turned to Teddy.

"What do you want to do now Teddy?" she asked him.

Teddy looked up at her before glancing back at Draco and shrugging.

"How about some cards? Uncle Harry left a pack of Exploding Snap the last time you came over. Or we could draw? Or watch another movie?" Hermione offered.

"Cards." Teddy whispered quietly and Hermione extracted herself from his hold in order to walk over to the cupboard and bring out the cards.

As she turned around both Teddy and Malfoy were looking at her with lost little looks on their faces. She sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon.

ooo

_19/07/2010,_ _11:22 The Leaky Cauldron_

"Thanks Tom." Padma said as Tom placed her plate of food down in front of her. The warm smells coming from the steam caused her mouth to water and she desperately wanted to tuck in.

She did so as soon as Parvati had her own plate and Tom had wandered back off to his usual spot behind the bar.

For a few moments the identical sisters ate in content silence, happy enough to fill their bellies after a hard morning's shopping. And then Padma asked the question the two of them had been avoiding all morning.

"So it was Dad's birthday yesterday." She said quietly.

She watched Parvati freeze in her action of taking another bite of chicken and as she lowered her fork back down to her plate, a sad expression fell over her face. She nodded but otherwise kept silent.

"How are they?" Padma asked. Her heart began to pain as she thought of them. Of what she was missing. Of what she had already missed.

"Good." Parvati eventually answered. "Dad's planning on retiring this year."

"And Mum?" Padma tried to keep her voice light but she couldn't quite contain the choke that rose in her throat.

The sad look on Parvati's face mingled with pity and Padma gritted her teeth. "She's good too. She threw a party for Dad two days ago. Everyone was there." She gasped as she realised what she'd just said and Padma shook her head.

"Don't…it's okay." She lied. "I'm glad that everyone's okay. I'm glad they're happy."

Parvati nodded her head nervously at her words before she looked back down at her plate.

Padma studied her twin critically and she had to push away the feelings of resentment that rose up within her. She still clearly remembered the night her parents had turned their backs on her. The words that had been yelled by them.

That she had been seeing Anthony. It wasn't his blood that had offended her parents but that fact he hadn't been Indian.

That she was pregnant…out of wedlock was something that would bring shame on her family for years.

And then she had moved in with Blaise.

Her parents had turned their backs on her and yet when Parvati had married Dean they had celebrated their daughter's marriage openly.

Padma had never understood why they had stood by Parvati and not her. Why even after Parvati's marriage had they not got in touch with her or even bothered to reply to the many letters she had sent them.

What was the difference between her and Parvati? Why had her parents picked Parvati and not her?

Out of the two it had been her who had been closer to her parents. Whilst Parvati was the more outgoing child, spending days with friends on their visits home from Hogwarts, Padma would spend her days at home with her parents; her parents busying themselves around the house whilst she read contently.

How was it fair that they had left her in the cold and treated Parvati as if she was their lone child?

Her horrid questions must have shown in her face because Parvati spoke in a rushed choke.

"I'm so sorry." She said.

Padma took in a harsh breath as guilt and horror churned her stomach. Parvati had been her one rock over the last few years, when she had no one to turn to it had been Parvati who had come through.

"Don't…don't apologise. You have nothing to apologise for." Padma told her strongly, despite the tears springing to her eyes.

"I know…but...I can talk to the-"

"No." Padma cut her off. "They made their choice and like you said, they're happy. I don't want to spoil that."

Parvati didn't say anything else and Padma forced herself to drink a sip of her juice and eat a piece of her chicken. Parvati soon followed suit but the content silence that had been present at the start of their meal had been replaced by an awkward one.

Her topic of conversation had inevitably marred their day together and right this moment she would had given everything to simply be at home with Benji and Blaise. At home with her family.

ooo

_20/07/2010,_ _11:30, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

"It's going to explode! It's going to explode!" Teddy yelled loudly, excitement causing his entire body to shake as he focused on the rumbling of the self-shuffling cards rather than concentrating on matching the pairs up.

Upon hearing Teddy's infectious laughter, Hermione laughed out loud herself.

"Watch the cards Teddy!" she directed despite knowing her words would fall on deaf ears.

Teddy's grasp of the game seemed to hold more importance in jumping out of the way when the cards exploded instead of matching them up and collecting points.

In this one round Hermione had already seen two instances in which Teddy could have won the round but his enjoyment had meant he'd missed the opportunities completely.

Draco however hadn't, if his expecting glances at Teddy where anything to go by.

Hermione had never thought Malfoy capable of acting so…decently. Which made her feel quite awful for thinking about him so badly.

When she had suggested that Teddy and Draco play the first few rounds, the lost look on both their faces had morphed into uneasy ones and they had looked at her for direction.

Deciding to comfort Teddy because honestly, Malfoy was a grown man and she would never comfort him, she walked over to them both and took a seat next to Teddy. Opening the pack of cards, the three watched in silence as the cards jumped out of their case and immediately began shuffling themselves on the table.

Handing her wand to Teddy whilst non-verbally casting a shield spell to protect his face (she still remembered Ron's singed eyebrows) she watched Draco follow her actions and pull out his wand.

Tentatively, Teddy reached out to tap the pile and the first game had begun.

Both wizards had sat stoically as the cards had shuffled through the pile. When two matching cards revealed themselves, she had expected Malfoy to use his quick Seeker reflexes to tap the cards with his wand and win the round, but he had been oddly delayed. Delayed long enough for Teddy to get there first.

When Malfoy had seen the surprised look on her face, he had merely lifted an eyebrow causing Hermione to look away embarrassed at her stunned gawking.

Teddy winning the first round and a few of the subsequent ones too was all he needed to come out of his shell so the two of them could play without hesitation.

Hermione never thought she would have seen the day when Draco Malfoy would put aside his ingrained competitiveness and let someone else win something.

A loud bang followed by an eruption of cards caused Hermione to pull back to the present. Teddy was laughing happily and even more surprisingly, so was Malfoy.

He looked different when he laughed, Hermione realised with a jolt.

She watched him let the cards fall all over the room, allowing Teddy a few more moments of laughter, before he waved his wand and the cards immediately returned back to the table to form a neat pile ready for the next round.

The afternoon suddenly didn't look so long anymore.

* * *

_Author's Note: I would like to thank those of you who PM'd me with your kind words and well wishes during this difficult time. This chapter is deciated to each and everyone of you. I know the chapter isn't all that but I'll try to make up for it with my next update. Thank You, Curiositykils_


	19. Chapter 19

"_**I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you." Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)**_

_20/07/2010,_ _12:17, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

Hermione giggled so hard that her stomach started cramping. Teddy hid his own giggles behind his small hands as he looked at his Uncle Draco.

Faint wisps of black smoke whirled around Malfoy's face and Hermione knew it was wrong to laugh…but she just couldn't control herself.

"You're eyebrows have gone all funny!" Teddy yelled excitedly, a small finger pointing towards Malfoy's face.

At Malfoy's incensed look, Hermione winced at Teddy's unhelpful comment.

"Are you okay?" she asked belatedly.

Malfoy turned to look at her and glared nonchalantly as he pulled himself to stand taller. The posture was meant to intimidate but with Malfoy's smoking eyebrows, it simply made him look all the sillier.

When he caught sight of her lips twitching again, he clenched his jaw tightly. "I'm fine. If you could point me to the nearest washroom."

Hermione smiled before giving him directions to the bathroom. He left the room haughtily, no doubt to fix his eyebrows back to their pre singed state, and Hermione looked around the mess in her living room.

Cards still lay scattered over the sofa and the carpet and their empty glasses and cookie plates lay around her feet.

As Teddy began manually lifting the cards one by one, Hermione walked over to him and gently sifted her fingers through his recently turned blond hair. He looked up and smiled widely at her before bending to continue with his task.

Deciding to leave him to it, she accioed the glassware towards her before making her way back to the kitchen. She deposited the dirty plates in the sink before turning to study the groceries she had in her cupboard.

When she had invited Malfoy over, she had assumed he would leave before she and Teddy sat down for lunch. She hadn't gone shopping, thinking that she would merely rustle up a simple dish of tomato alphabet spaghetti, but the thought of Malfoy eating…and silently judging…her food made her rethink her plan.

Sighing, she moved back into the living room. Teddy was sitting on the sofa, absently playing with the cards as his gaze was held by a Quidditch match playing on the television. Sitting back down next to him, she absorbed his light weight as he leaned against her side.

"Hungry?" she asked.

He turned his eyes away from the television before looking back up at her and nodding once.

"What would you like to eat?" she asked, hoping that he would offer a solution.

As she had expected, his eyes grew nervous at the question, not wanting to offer a food in case it didn't fit in with what everyone else wanted to eat.

For a moment, she debated once again about serving Malfoy her alphabet spaghetti but shamefully, her potential embarrassment outweighed the fact that Teddy had seemed to enjoy the spaghetti the last time he had spent the day with her.

And so she immediately began thinking up potential restaurants that they could visit. Her list of eateries was probably once again going to cause some embarrassment but this time Hermione refused to back down. There was nothing forcing Malfoy to eat with them and if he didn't like the restaurant she would eventually choose then tough.

A second after she finished her inner tirade, she immediately felt guilty. This morning he'd proved that he wasn't the wizard she thought he was or at least the wizard he portrayed to the outside world.

She'd been stunned by his interactions with Teddy. He had been so…care-free…it had at times rendered her speechless. Evidently he'd changed from his uptight Hogwarts days. As she mused over her new findings, the wizard in question walked back into the room, eyebrows fully intact once again.

"Back to normal?" she asked sympathetically.

Malfoy nodded his head. "Are we done with the cards?" he said as he noticed that Teddy hadn't re-dealt the cards on the table.

Hermione nodded. "I thought we could break for lunch." She suggested.

Malfoy didn't agree or disagree and Hermione grew uncomfortable under his steady stare. Waiting a few more seconds she expected him to say something, but when he didn't, she grew even more flustered.

"I thought Teddy and I could go out and eat." She said quickly.

By his raised eyebrow, Hermione knew he'd caught her slip up and hastily added, "And you of course. You're welcome to join us."

He smiled serenely but Hermione caught a flash in his eyes. "Why thank you." He said as he accepted.

Hermione kept the smile pasted over her face, the falseness causing her cheeks to hurt at the unnatural pull.

"Were you planning on eating at any restaurant in particular?" he asked.

Hermione found herself nodding her head. Without thinking, she thought of the first name that entered her head. "Luigi's." she said before wishing she could take the name back.

Whilst Luigi's served perfectly pleasant food, the internal décor of the restaurant was more reminiscent of a café than a restaurant. And the clientele that ate at the restaurant were bound to be something that Malfoy wasn't used to seeing.

"I haven't heard of it." He stated with a small frown.

Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts. "It's a small restaurant just off Hogsmeade's main road."

Malfoy's frown deepened as he evidently tried to figure out why he hadn't before seen the restaurant during their visits from Hogwarts.

"Is it new?" he questioned.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. Whilst Luigi's hadn't been established during their early Hogwarts years, she, Harry and Ron had frequented the place in their fifth and sixth year when the usual places to eat became too busy with other students. Since Luigi's was off the main road, not many students were willing to waste time walking there.

Deciding that she didn't want to offer Malfoy any more information since he would be seeing the restaurant soon enough and could form his opinions then, she turned back to Teddy.

"Why don't you go and use the bathroom before we go?" she suggested.

Teddy immediately ran out of the room and up the stairs to the bathroom. Hermione stood. "If you'll excuse me for a few moments, I'll just go and freshen up."

Malfoy nodded before resuming his seat and Hermione quickly wandered over to her bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her. Freshening up didn't take very long. She simply brushed and re-tied her hair, smoothed over her clothes, spritzed some more perfume on her wrists before reapplying a swipe of her lipstick.

By the time she was done, Teddy was already back downstairs. "Ready?" she asked, aiming her question towards Teddy.

He nodded before switching the television off with the remote, causing Malfoy to startle somewhat at the sudden silence. Hermione decided it would be best for all if she ignored the fact. Grabbing her bag, Teddy walked over to her side and slipped his hand in hers. Hermione helped him into his jacket and pulled up his hood before she looked back over to Malfoy.

"Since you don't know where it is, we can apparate to Madam Rosmerta's and walk from there." She told him.

He nodded once again and Hermione waited before he had apparated out before she tightened her hold on Teddy's arm and followed him.

ooo

_20/07/2010,_ _11:43, 3 St John's Wood, London_

Blaise walked into the kitchen and his gaze immediately settled on Padma. She was stood at the side table, her eyes blankly taking in rain falling over the garden, a pensive look on her face. He hated the fact that his mind instantly flew to the possibility that she had received another letter from that bastard.

Slowly walking up to her so he wouldn't startle her, he purposely made a shuffling noise so she would know he was in the room with her. Before she could turn around fully, as she began to, he pulled her back to his front and rested his head on her shoulder. He felt her sigh as she rubbed the hands that had crossed over her waist.

"You okay?" he murmured quietly.

There was another sigh before she nodded her head. Blaise didn't believe her for a minute. She'd been acting distant for a while now but even more so since she'd met Parvati yesterday. He'd noticed her blue mood as soon as she had come home from their day out. He knew that she'd not been feeling 100% before she'd left, but usually once she and Parvati got together, tiredness and any other illness became trivial. When she'd come home, hours earlier than he had expected, he had questioned her about her early return and hadn't fully believed her excuse of being weary.

His mind had gone so crazy that he had momentarily become fixated on the fact that she hadn't been meeting Parvati but _him_. And so whilst Padma had been taking a shower, he had taken the opportunity to hold a Floo conversation with Parvati. Thankfully, his worries regarding who Padma had spent the last few hours with had been receded, but he had got the feeling Parvati had been hiding something from him.

And then there was today. Sunday's were usually spent helping Benji with his homework in the morning before spending the afternoon playing. Padma had been present for all but her eyes seemed vacant and her laughter belatedly forced.

Blaise turned her around in his arms. She rested her forehead against his chest and hugged him tightly, seeming to take his strength into her body.

"Are you sure that you're okay? You've been acting differently ever since yesterday…Did something happen with Parvati?"

He felt her tense in his arms for a second before she relaxed and shook her head. She was lying, his gut instinct told him. It left him feeling infuriated at how to handle the situation.

"Shall I Floo the doctor?"

His question caused her to pull away. "No I'm fine. I'm just tired."

"You were tired yesterday and you got a good night's sleep. Maybe you're coming down with something." His hand reached out to touch her forehead but she caught it before it reached its destination. Squeezing gently, she let it go before moving further away from him.

Blaise had to force himself not to give in to the pull in his stomach so that he was once again within arm's reach of her. Instead he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Have you received some unwanted news?" he pushed.

His strangely worded question caused her to look back up at him and her eyes were that of a frightened doe. She quickly flicked her eyes back down.

"No, nothing…We should get back to Benji." She made to move out of the room and Blaise caught her arm with his hand.

"Did you receive something in the Post?" he pushed.

At that, her head snapped up to face him. She looked deep into his eyes before whatever she saw caused her to take in a shuddering breath. Before she could speak, he got in first.

"I know Padma."

ooo

_20/07/2010, 11:45, Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

Pansy sighed before taking another sip of water and pulling herself upright in a sitting position.

"Okay, let me see if I've got this correct." She said before she turned to face Harry. He was looking at her with fond amusement in his eyes, the same look he'd had since she'd first arrived for her first "Weasley Tutorial" and Pansy struggled to ignore the quivering deep in her belly.

Hoping that she wasn't blushing too obviously, she tried to concentrate on the matter at hand.

"We have Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley. Then there's William or Bill Weasley who's married to Fleur Weasley and they have one child together. Then there's Charlie Weasley, George Weasley, Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley."

Pansy frowned lightly as Harry's gaze flicked away from hers when she said Ginny's name. Don't be silly Pansy, she told herself as wild theories flew around in her head. He's merely embarrassed that's all. Merlin knew she would be if she was in his shoes and about to have dinner with his new girlfriend? in the presence of his old girlfriend.

Pansy hesitated. Was she his girlfriend? Things seemed to be happening so fast. They'd only been on a few dates and she was practically meeting his family. Didn't that indicate their relationship was serious? But despite that, they hadn't actually had the _talk_.

"Yep, that's all right."

Pansy brought her mind back to the present and breathed out a sigh of relief. "That was the easy part. Now I need to know what to talk to them about." She said with a worried smile.

"You can talk to Arthur about anything Muggle…" he petered off before realising that she didn't have a clue about anything Muggle. This time it was Harry's turn to shake his head before he continued, "Bill's a curse breaker for Gringotts and he's very easy to talk to."

"Is he on my side?" Pansy asked jokingly but she was secretly worried about the answer. Harry seemed to see this as he moved his hand to cover hers.

"Yes."

Pansy nodded gladly.

"Fleur's on your side too. I think you met her during the Triwizard Tournament. She mentioned something about you helping her find a book in the library."

Pansy vaguely recalled the event.

"George is probably on your side too…although I can't promise he won't give you some good natured ribbing."

Once again Pansy sighed in relief. Good natured ribbing she could handle. Good natured ribbing she could take. Bad natured ribbing is what caused her eyes to turn teary and her body to fluster miserably.

"I'm not sure about Charlie. I don't think he knows much about you other than what the others have told him. But he's wizard enough to make his own mind up so you don't have to worry there. He's a dragon tamer in Romania."

Pansy's eyes widened. "A dragon tamer?" she said warily as she immediately pictured a bigger, more muscly version of Ron.

This time Harry didn't seem to pick up on her nervousness. "And then there's Ron, Ginny and Molly. They'll be the most difficult but I'm sure they'll be polite."

Pansy wondered just how naïve Harry really was when it came to his family.

"Oh and how can I forget Mione? She'll be there too."

Pansy's spirits lifted. An actual friendly face. She felt the slightest bit better about the upcoming dinner.

"Talk me through the dinner. How many courses are there? Who sits were? Does Fleur's child eat with the rest of the family?"

Harry looked at her blankly before laughing out loud. Pansy merely went over what she had just said and wondered what had been so funny. When Harry saw her serious expression, he stopped laughing abruptly.

Pansy shifted uncomfortably. "Dinners in our household are evidently different to the way the Weasley's do things." She said. Though she had always hated the formality of dinners growing up, the prospect of facing something different wasn't soothing her rampant nerves.

"There aren't any courses. People just sit where they end up although Arthur and Molly take the two end chairs."

Pansy made a mental note to carefully choose her seat, preferably closer to Arthur's end of the table than Molly's.

"There's no courses. It's just a family dinner so everything gets put on the table and you help yourself and yes, Victoire sits at the same table as the adults." Dropping his voice, Harry moved closer to her as if to let her in on a secret. "She's on your side too."

Pansy let out a choked laugh.

"You'll be fine." Harry told her as he squeezed her hand once more.

Pansy looked back into his emerald eyes and merely prayed.

ooo

_20/07/2010, 12:28, Luigi's, Hogsmeade Village_

Hermione entered Luigi's first and quickly waved her wand to dry Teddy off. If she thought the rain had been heavy in London, it was on a whole new level in Scotland. Quickly stepping forward and away from the door, she held it open for Draco. He stepped into the warmth with his head down, his head shaking gently from side to side but still with enough force to spray cold droplets on her skin. Stepping away, she quickly asked the waitress for a table for three.

The waitress smiled before turning to lead the way. Hermione glanced back at Malfoy only to stop in her potential step at the look on his face. His perfectly blank stare took in the interior of the restaurant, his eyes lingering disapprovingly on the tables and chairs, the paintings on the walls, the other customers and the food they were eating.

Sighing, Hermione turned back around without speaking. She was hoping in equal parts that he would sit down and eat lunch with them, for Teddy's sake, or that he would simply apparate back to Malfoy Manor.

Sliding into a booth so that Teddy could take his preferred aisle seat next to her, she picked up the menu idly whilst keeping an eye on Malfoy. It seemed he had got over his first impressions and was making his way over to them. And then he stopped short when he saw the booth.

Hermione nearly laughed out loud at the puzzled expression that flitted across his face. Eventually he smoothed his black robes down before jerkily sliding his long legs under the table. When he picked up the plastic coated menu, he did so with his thumb and forefinger.

"What looks good Teddy?"

Teddy shrugged and Hermione immediately glanced towards the buffet area of the menu. She knew Teddy wouldn't pick what he really wanted to eat so the buffet was a good way of letting him choose more of what he wanted to eat and less of what he thought everyone else wanted him to eat.

"How about the buffet? Then you can have everything." She told him excitedly.

He nodded at her suggestion, a small smile forming on his face. Hermione resisted the urge to squeeze him in a tight hug.

"And what would you like to drink…how about something fizzy? Coke?" she suggested knowing what a treat it would be for Teddy to have the Muggle drink. Luigi's was the only place she knew that served Muggle drinks alongside Wizarding ones, all thanks to Luigi's Muggle daughter in law.

Teddy's eyes brightened at the thought of tasting the Muggle drink again. Finally, having no other choice, she turned to Malfoy.

"Anything caught your eye?" she asked lightly.

Malfoy looked from his menu to her. "If you wished to have Italian food we could have gone to Cucina."

Hermione smiled tightly. For someone whose family had been stripped of all their money and assets, Malfoy sure was frivolous now that he was gaining it back with his business. Ignoring the urge to reply sarcastically on how everyday folk didn't have the money to dine in an up class restaurant at the drop of a hat, she shrugged.

"I've been to Cucina a few times recently. And I like the food here too."

Malfoy looked at her disbelievingly. Just when she thought she was going to snap at him, he spoke.

"What do you recommend?"

Hermione pointed out a few dishes before the waitress came over. Malfoy picked his dish before she asked for the buffet for her and Teddy. And then silence reigned supreme once more.

Oh joy.

ooo

_20/07/2010,_ _11:45, 3 St John's Wood, London_

Padma's stomach lurched and she found herself growing dizzy with panic. "What?" she whispered hoarsely.

Blaise's hand was like a manacle around her arm. A gentle manacle…but still a manacle. She stared at him blankly, her mind refusing to accept his words.

"I know." He repeated.

Padma swallowed. "Know what?" she hedged.

Blaise looked down on her and she saw the mocking in his eyes. "Are we really going to do it this way?" he said gently.

Padma gasped as the truth hit her like a bludger to the stomach. Her throat swallowed and convulsed. "How? W-when?"

"I found the letters in your underwear drawer."

Padma wrenched her arm from under his hold. "You went through my things?" she asked in angry disbelief.

At her tone, Blaise's eyes flashed his own anger. "I wasn't aware that your underwear drawer was a no go area." He said coldly. "Of course, I wasn't aware that you were hiding letters from your lover in them too."

"Anthony isn't my _lover_!"

"You're telling me that you haven't met up with him recently?" he said mockingly.

Angry tears filled Padma's eyes. "I haven't!"

"And I suppose you haven't been conversing with him either?"

"I-" she started to say before coming to a stop. "I-It isn't like that! It isn't like what you're thinking!"

"I don't think you want to know what I'm thinking."

"I-I I couldn't just…ignore…he wanted…Benji." She spluttered out.

"He wanted you!" Blaise bellowed.

Padma flinched at his tone, having never seen or heard him raise his tone before. "I told him no." she said pleadingly.

Blaise shook his head. "I thought I could do this."

Padma's stomach gave another lurch. "P-please Blaise, you don't understand!" she cried. "I-I didn't know what he wanted. He said he wanted us to be a f-family."

"We're a family!" He yelled again. "Or at least that's what I thought!"

"We are! You are!"

"Then what were all the letters for?"

Padma choked back a sob as she placed a hand on her belly. Oh please, she prayed. "I-I can't i-ignore him. He has r-rights. He's Benji's father!"

Blaise's head cracked back at her words and for a moment the two stared at each. Padma bit her lip as she silently pleaded with him to believe her.

"Benji's father. I've read that line many times." He said quietly.

"That wasn't what I meant…Blaise please. You're Benji's father! But I can't pretend that Anthony doesn't exist!"

"You haven't been trying very hard have you?" he said as he strode towards a cupboard and brought out a small bundle of post. He threw it on the table and it skidded towards her.

Padma took in the handwriting through blurry eyes before she saw the date. "What?" she said as she picked up the bundle and flicked through it. "I-I never got any of these letters."

Blaise looked away for a very brief moment before turning back to face her.

"Why didn't I get these?" she asked.

"I don't think that's the point is it?" he said coldly. "He isn't going away which begs the question on what exactly you've been telling him in your letters!"

"Nothing!"

"Nothing?"

"No! Not nothing! I- told him- no. Please…you have to believe me! I told him no!"

"…I don't trust you anymore."

At that damning conclusion, Padma finally broke down. Sobs erupted from her chest and the tears she had been holding at bay finally slipped over the edge. Her arms came out to hold onto Blaise's T-shirt.

"No…please…you can. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to lie to you! I was scared!" she cried.

Blaise's gaze on her was something that she had never seen before. He was looking at her as if he didn't even know her. As if she was a stranger. As if she meant nothing to him.

"Blaise please!"

He took her arms off his T-shirt, all the while shaking his head. "I can't…I need to think."

When he made to leave Padma stopped him. "No please! Don't leave! We can talk about this. I need you!"

"Why? You have a better offer don't you? The one you wanted all along. The one your parents wanted for you." He said quietly…distantly.

Padma cried out. "No! Please! I want you! I don't want him. Please."

"I have to go…I'll Owl you when…" he said numbly.

"Blaise!"

"Mommy?"

Padma gasped as she turned to face Benji. He was standing at the door, his gaze moving between her and Blaise. Padma quickly moved to wipe her face dry.

"Benji…go upstairs honey."

Benji ignored her and he turned to face Blaise. "Daddy?"

Padma's heart broke as she heard Blaise's painful indrawn breath. When she turned her head to look at him, he was looking at Benji with painful longing in his eyes and he shook his head dejectedly.

"I can't." he admitted shakily.

"Blaise p-please!" she begged to no avail.

He apparated out with a deafening pop and Padma's hand came to clutch at her stomach. Her cries resonated around the room as did her hoarse whisper.

"…I'm pregnant."

ooo

_20/07/2010, 13:15, Luigi's, Hogsmeade Village_

Hermione watched happily as Teddy gobbled up his ice-cream. Her belly was a little too full and she was in a happy comfort food haze, making the world around her seem bright and warm.

"Admit it," she said to Malfoy who was sat in front of her. "The food was good." She said with a teasing smile.

Malfoy smiled back and said nothing but Hermione knew. His look of disgust when he had first seen the food on the plate in front of him had turned to shock when he'd taken his first bite.

And once he'd gotten over his hilarious rant about the paper napkins, they'd started having a good time again. Teddy had kicked off the conversation, asking Draco numerous questions about what it was like playing Quidditch at Hogwarts. The topic had inevitably led to him offering Teddy another Quidditch lesson soon. It seemed that in the interim, Andromeda hadn't allowed Teddy to fly on his broom in case he'd hurt himself. When Malfoy had heard that, an indignant look had crossed his face as if Andromeda dared to doubt the extensive safety precautions he'd placed on the broom. Thankfully, he hadn't said anything.

Hermione had been content to let the Quidditch conversation flow around her since her knowledge on the subject was dismal. Surprisingly, Malfoy actually tried several times to include her in the conversation but after her stilted answers to his questions, he had shaken his head good-naturedly with only a hint of teasing in his eyes and got back to talking solely with Teddy.

"You should really try their ice-cream. It's food of the God's." Hermione told him as she spooned some of her own into her mouth. Her stomach was fit to burst but she knew that if she hadn't ordered any ice-cream than Teddy wouldn't have either. Only now that the heavenly goodness was in front of her, she was finding it difficult to resist.

"God's?"

Hermione winced before shaking her head and dismissingly waving her hand.

"Ice-cream is for children." Malfoy stated bluntly.

Hermione stopped spooning the treat into her mouth. "What?" she said aghast. "It's ice-cream! You can never grow too old for it."

"You can in my world."

Hermione looked at him before leaning forward onto the table. "Well it's a good thing that today you're in my world then isn't it?"

Malfoy looked surprised at her flirty words and Hermione was even more surprised that they had actually come out of her mouth. Blaming the comfort food haze, she sat back in her seat and gave Malfoy (who was still staring at her) a polite smile before looking away.

Seeing Teddy's nearly empty plate, she turned to face the boy and handed him a spare napkin so he could wipe the ice-cream off his cheeks.

"I think I want to try another flavour. How about you?" she asked.

Teddy shook his head. "I'm full." He said as he smiled and poked his belly to demonstrate.

Hermione smiled thankfully since there was no way she could have put away another bowl of ice-cream. Wiping away some of the ice-cream that Teddy's quick swipe hadn't reached, she gave into the urge to ruffle his hair and she was rewarded by his warm smile before his weight once again sunk into her side.

She glanced back at Malfoy to find him staring at the two of them with narrowed eyes. Uncomfortably, she hugged Teddy closer to her before taking in a deep breath and plastering a smile on her face. Signalling to the waitress for their bill, it appeared on their table within two seconds and Hermione lifted the piece of paper toward her before Malfoy could do the same.

"I'll pay," he said at the same time she said, "My treat."

Malfoy seemed incapable of speaking at her decision to pay. She assumed it didn't occur often in his world. She quickly deposited the money on the bill and watched it disappear.

"Next time, I pay." He growled.

Hermione smiled at his tone of voice. "Deal." She said automatically before pausing. If Malfoy caught her slip up then he wasn't making her aware of it, which left her to stew on why she had just said what she had.

The thought of meeting up with Malfoy was unpleasant…wasn't it? After all, she'd been dreading this meeting today.

Only he'd acted so differently today than what she'd imagined, just like he did when they'd spent the afternoon in the park with Teddy and Benji. If this was the real Malfoy, then she saw herself having no problem with potentially meeting up with him in the future whenever she was looking after Teddy.

The thought surprised and she laughed out loud in shock, which she quickly masked as a cough. Busying herself with bundling Teddy back up again, she turned to face Malfoy.

"Back to mine?" she asked and he nodded.

Together they walked out of the restaurant and apparated back home.

ooo

_20/07/2010, 14:32, Parkinson Chateau, South of France_

A witch with the cat got the cream smile walked into the entrance of hall of a spectacular chateau. As she followed the house elf into the drawing room where the witch who she was here to see was waiting for her, she took in the works of art that hung on the walls and the priceless sculptures that lazily decorated the hallway.

As always, a tiny eruption of jealously burst into fire in her chest but she pushed it down into her stomach. She was here for a reason and it all depended on how well she played her part.

As she stepped into the luxurious drawing room, the older witch who already inhabited the room, stood to greet her with a friendly smile and a hug. Smiles and pleasantries were exchanged before the witch got down to business.

Stirring sugar into her tea, she looked up at the older with and plastered a sad smile across her cruel lips. "Thank you so much for seeing me." She said.

The older witch waved her words away. "I'm glad you were able to come all this way. I understand you've been in contact with my daughter. How is Pansy? Has she seen sense yet?"

The younger witch smiled in sympathy. "I'm afraid not." She said with faux sympathy. Sipping her tea she crossed her legs, "Why don't you tell me what this is all about and I can see what I can do to help." She offered.

As Mrs Parksinon smiled in relief and readily began talking, the younger witch merely smiled, before non-verbally turning on her recorder.

Settling back in her seat she tried not to smile. Inwardly she was rejoicing.

It was like taking a pumpkin pasty from a baby, she mused.

This was going to be the story of the year, even more so that the last one she'd given that bitch of a reporter.

And this time, she was going to wring that cow for as much money as possible in exchange for it.

Ahh, revenge was so sweet.

* * *

_Author's Note: So I know it's been a while since you last heard from me. I've been spending my time trying to write the next oneshot for Meus Contraho and I've been struggling with it so I thought concentrating on writing the next chapter of Deceit would help the words start to flow. I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter now that the fireworks have begun. I've begun writing the next chapter too so hopefully it shouldn't be another long wait although you've probably long since given up believing me when I say that! Thank you for sticking with me though and Until next time, Curiositykils._


	20. Chapter 20

**_"An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind." Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)_**

_20/07/2010, 22:28, Knockturn Alley, London_

"What do you mean you don't have any information for me?" Julian Rookwood snarled at the mousy man in front of him.

His hand came up to curl in the man's robes and he pushed him none too gently against the nearest wall, his face leaning down intimidatingly.

"It has been near a week since I first contacted you. For the obscene amounts of money I am paying you, I expected results. Fast ones." He spat out quietly.

The man he held whimpered in fear and pathetically began offering excuses and apologises. Disgusted, Julian stepped back.

"Time is of the essence. I believe I made that clear when I hired you for the job." He stated coldly.

"I am aware sir. Please, we just need a little longer. We have already established that she is working at the Auror Office."

Julian stepped back closer to the man, his anger snapping. "And that piece of information is worthless to me. Do you think that I can just walk into the Ministry and snatch her away from under their noses?" Taking in a deep breath he exhaled slowly. "I paid you to find out where she is staying."

"And we will sir! I have my best men on it. They'll be bringing me her address soon."

Julian wasn't pacified by the man's meaningless words. When he had arrived from France to collect his runaway bride, he had thought she would be ready and waiting for him. He had already spent days longer than he wished in this god forsaken country with its cold weather and persistent rain. He didn't understand how people could stand it.

Back in his home country, his reputation was in tatters because of that little witch. His future mother in law had seen fit to announce his engagement to her daughter in the French Horn and when she had disappeared on the eve of their engagement, the situation had been picked up by the vultures. That his fiancée had seemed to run away from him, Julian Rookwood of all wizards, was the cause of much amusement to the peasant folk who read the rags.

Julian would have ignored the comments had he not been so humiliated. How dare the witch think that she could do better than him! No other upstanding pureblood wizard would touch her desolate family with a Quidditch broom, despite her classic beauty. Not when there were more agreeable heiresses around. But he had seen the truth in Pansy's eyes.

She was weak…and she was desperate. Two features which would make her an agreeable wife. He wouldn't need to worry about her embarrassing him in front of his peers, not when he held the key to the roof over her and her mother's heads.

Only her selfish Slytherin side had come out at the most inopportune moment and she'd fled from the life he was offering her. And the bloody papers were degrading him on how he couldn't sexually satisfy his witch. The slur touched a sore spot since the witch hadn't let him touch her once during their brief courtship. She'd made excuses about making their wedding night special and at the time, Julian had been happy sating himself elsewhere.

But now the situation was getting ridiculous. His fiancée was going to learn just how wise it was to keep in his good books. Or at least she would when he found her.

Giving the man he'd hired to find her one last look, Julian apparated back to his hotel room.

In the dark alley, the hired man slumped against the wall and breathed in gulping deep breaths. His mind began buzzing with renewed fear. If they didn't find Rookwood's witch in the next 24 hours….then they were all buggered.

ooo

_21/07/2010 08:34 Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione had been at work for precisely seventeen minutes when she received Padma's response to her Owl. The Indian witch had Owled her late last night to say that she wasn't feeling well and she didn't think she would be able to make it into work the next morning.

As she apologized profusely for taking time off during such a vital time, Hermione had decided to send her an Quik-e-message this morning telling her not to worry and she had given Padma stern orders to rest and not even think about coming to work until she was feeling 100% better.

Padma usually compensated for the sudden days off work she needed to take when something arose with Benji, by coming into work no matter how unwell she was feeling. The fact that she wasn't in this morning meant Hermione could only image how horrible she must be feeling.

In her note Hermione had also mentioned the fact that she was free to look after Benji if Padma wanted her to and she had also joked on how Blaise better be pampering her better.

As she unfolded Padma's reply she was surprised but how little she'd written. A sparse line on how she was fine with looking after Benji and that she would try to be in work tomorrow. And that's all.

As Hermione put the note in the bin, she got back to work but her mind was too busy to concentrate on the vampire migration patterns. Sighing, she reached for her bag and reached for her purse. Wandering over to the young witch with the food trolley who was doing her first early morning round, Hermione waited until she'd finished supplying her colleague with her day's lunch before ordering a large coffee. Seeing the sticky apple Danish for the second time that morning proved too difficult to resist and with a cauldron full of guilt, she added it to her bill.

Carrying her purchases back to her desk, she hoped that the caffeine and sugar rush would combined be enough to get her head back in the game. As the coffee cooled, Hermione munched on the Danish and thought back to yesterday. Upon reaching her home again, she had briefly been puzzled on why Malfoy hadn't apparated in alongside her and Teddy.

A knock on her door made her realise that she hadn't changed her wards to allow Malfoy to apparate into her cottage and she had apologised as she'd let him in. After another initial awkward silence, Hermione had asked Teddy what he'd wanted to do since the rain was still coming down. As Teddy had replied shyly, Hermione had moved to grab some spare pieces of parchment and her Muggle colouring pens.

Settling Teddy down by the table, the boy got to work on creating his next masterpiece that would soon adorn Andromeda's kitchen cupboards. Hermione had turned on the television so that she and Malfoy had something to look at during their conversation than only each other. Surprisingly, the conversation hadn't been all that awkward. Well in her case at least.

Whilst they didn't begin chatting away like old friends, they'd discussed their work and hobbies and it felt nice talking to someone who was intelligent and asked insightful questions.

When Andromeda had come to collect Teddy, her wide eyes had taken in Draco's presence dumbly before Hermione had made the polite introductions. They had shaken hands before Teddy had hugged Draco's legs tightly and craned his head to look up, whispering the earlier promise that Draco had made to take him flying again soon.

Malfoy had reiterated his words and after thanking Hermione once more, Andromeda and Teddy had apparated home. Malfoy had been quick to follow, thoughtfully thanking Hermione for inviting him even though he'd made mistakes in the past. Hermione's cheeks had turned red at the reminder of the kiss but she'd merely dismissed his thanks and watched him apparate away.

Taking a break from her musings, Hermione took a tentative sip of her coffee. The sweet bitter taste swirled around her mouth and she savoured the taste of the Danish as she washed it away.

As her boss walked past her desk, waving jovially, Hermione sighed before scourgifying her fingers clean. In a last ditch effort to put off her work, she sent Harry an interdepartmental memo asking him to have lunch with her today. It was about time they got together to catch up. It had been a while. And anyway, she wanted to hear how he and Pansy were doing before their dinner with the Weasley family this Thursday.

As she watched the memo fly away, she sighed one last time, drunk another large sip of coffee and pulled her chair right up to her desk.

Time to work.

ooo

_21/07/2010 09:07, Daily Prophet Headquarters, Level 2, London_

A young witch made her way across the newsroom floor. She'd returned from France late last night and the first thing she'd done after apparating home, was to exclaim loudly in glee as she'd replayed the conversation she'd been taking part in over the last few hours.

She'd struck gold! Cauldron's full of gold!

Not only would she demand a hefty fee for the information she'd extracted but the second dose of revenge she was about to deal out would surely knock the ex-Princess of Slytherin off her pedestal.

The first newspaper article was supposed to have done more damage! But somehow the witch had come through the scandal…and she'd even landed Harry fucking Potter.

The witch's face scrunched in disgust at the unfairness of the situation. The cow had had one of the best looking pureblood wizards on her arm during Hogwarts and even now, despite her fall from pureblood grace, she was still hanging on with a job in the Auror department of all places!

The witch smiled grudgingly. Nothing she had done yet had been enough to repay the black haired princess on how she'd treated her during Hogwarts. But soon…soon she would cause her downfall and her revenge would be complete. And then she could finally crack on with her next target.

She was already sitting on the information that she needed to bring _him_ down a peg or two. But she hadn't released it yet…merely knowing that she could bring him down at any moment made her feel deliciously powerful. And she wanted the feeling to last for a while longer. After all, after the years she'd spent during Hogwarts, she deserved to have the power for once. And anyway, what was she going to do once she'd delivered her revenge?

No…she would watch her first target break down in front of her and once the happiness had worn off, and only then, would she begin her second revenge.

ooo

_21/07/2010, 09:10, 3 St John's Wood, London_

As Padma returned home from dropping Benji off at school, the silence that met her nearly crushed her. She'd spent the previous night desperately trying to soothe Benji and his numerous questions on where his Daddy had gone. When it had became too difficult to contain her tears, she'd set Benji up with a game in his room before heading to the en-suite bathroom in her bedroom.

Turning on the shower so Benji wouldn't be able to hear her, she'd all but collapsed on the bathroom floor and cried her eyes out, using the hand towel to mop away the many tears. When her head had felt like it was splitting and her throat was so hoarse she found it difficult to breathe, she'd gingerly sat up, using the edge of the tub to do so. Her head had swum at the change in direction and she'd closed her eyes vainly to stop the dizziness. Wiping her eyes up, she'd finally stood up minutes later and looked at her image in the mirror in disgust.

Her eyes were bloodshot and her hands shaky as she lifted them to move her hair off her face.

That was it. It was over.

She'd thought the words numbly and this morning, she'd repeated then. When the alarm had gone off, she'd refused to get out of bed. Maybe if she closed her eyes then the next time she woke up she would realise yesterday had just been a bad dream? Twenty minutes later, she'd heard Benji jumping around in his room and she realised that she couldn't spend the day in bed. She didn't want Benji to be worried about her. She had told him that Blaise had gone away to visit a sick relative and would be back soon.

The realisation that she'd lied to her son and that she had no idea when Blaise would return had caused her to finally break down. How could she have done this? How could this have happened? Why hadn't she just told Blaise when the first letter had come in the post?

As she hung up her coat on the set of hooks by the door, she felt a fluttering in her stomach. Knowing it was too early to feel the baby; she brushed her fingers across her belly and made a silent promise to her future son or daughter that she would do everything in her magical ability to make it up to Blaise.

And he had to forgive her…He just had too…She couldn't be alone again.

Walking into the living room, memories seemed to dance before her eyes and Padma took solace in them. Sitting down on the edge of the sofa she wondered what she should do now. Something in her desperately wanted to talk to someone but she couldn't face seeing Hermione's confused gaze as she analysed the situation or Parvati's pity. She knew what her twin would think. That Padma was a fool and that she hadn't learnt from her previous mistakes. Here she was again, pregnant and so alone.

Where _was_ Blaise? Where had he spent the night? An errant thought crept in and Padma refused to believe it. Blaise wouldn't cheat on her. He wouldn't spend the night with another witch.

The only possible explanation had to be his restaurants. At the thought, Padma stood from the sofa and ran to grab her coat. Hurriedly putting it on, she apparated away with prayers running through her head, she had to find him.

She _would_ find him. Blaise was her family and she and Benji were his. She hadn't loved anyone the way that she loved Blaise and she was not going to let him leave him her.

ooo

A few moments after she'd apparated away, the doorbell of 3 St John's Wood rang. Stood outside were two wizards and one witch. A tall, confident looking man with greying hair and tan skin stood hand in hand with a beautiful looking witch who bore a strong resemblance to her twin daughters. And next to witch stood an apprehensive wizard.

The thoughts running through his head were identical to those running through the witch he'd loved since his Hogwarts years and hadn't seen since.

He was here to get his family back.

And as he glanced over to the older couple stood beside him, he wasn't above playing dirty to do it. Padma wouldn't be able to refuse to see him. Not when he'd brought her the one thing she'd yearned for most.

Her parents.

ooo

_21/07/2010, 09:23, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Narcissa knocked softly on her son's door. She had been anxiously waiting to talk to Draco about so many things since yesterday afternoon but as she'd waited impatiently for him to return home from Miss Granger's, the afternoon had slipped away hour by hour. When it was time for her to retire in order to get dressed for dinner, she had done so quickly, eager to get to dinner and see Draco.

Only he hadn't been in attendance. She had eaten in a manner that would have surely horrified her mother had she still been alive but thankfully, Lucius was so engrossed in his own thoughts, he didn't notice her strange actions. When he had retired to his own study after dinner, Narcissa had gone back to Draco's study.

A long hour later and with her son making no appearance, she had left for her own set of private rooms to carry out some reading after giving strict instructions to the house elf to call her the moment Draco came home. But still the clock had chimed away the hours until it was time for her to retire to bed.

She had fallen asleep uneasily, her thoughts racing with many questions.

Was everything alright? Had things gone well at Miss Granger's?

Eventually she had put her mind to rest after reminiscing over the day she had spent with Andromeda. Her sister had unearthed some old childhood pictures which had delighted her since she had none at Malfoy Manor. When she'd left, Andromeda had handed her an envelope and knowing what was inside, Narcissa had hidden the precious photographs as soon as she had returned to the Manor.

When she woke this morning, Draco had once again been absent at breakfast and once she'd broken her fast with a swift cup of tea, she'd made her way to her son's study. As she opened the door to the room and saw him standing by the window, she breathed out in relief and smiled widely.

"You're here." She said as she walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

Draco turned to face her. "Of course I am here mother. Where else would I be?"

Narcissa lifted an eyebrow. "You were absent yesterday. I take it things did not go well at Miss Granger's?"

"On the contrary, things at Granger's went very well."

Surprised, Narcissa's eyebrows lifted. "Oh?"

"We spent much of the day together. We even went out for lunch with Teddy."

"May I ask where you spent the rest of the afternoon?"

"I had things to think about." He said as he turned back to face out of the window.

With a frown, Narcissa made her way over to him until she was stood by his side and she could see his face again.

"What did you need to think about?"

"Things." He repeated again vaguely.

Her frown deepened. "Tell me more about spending the day with Miss Granger. What did you do?"

Draco finally turned to face her, his arms in his pockets. "We played games with Teddy. It felt…different."

"Different?" Narcissa asked hesitantly.

"I've never been around children before."

"And you hated it." Narcissa guessed.

"No…Teddy's different."

"Andromeda thinks the sun shines out of that little boy." She said as she remembered the many stories Andromeda had told her that involved the young boy.

"So does Granger. She's good with him. I didn't expect her to care about him so much considering she's not even related to him."

Narcissa didn't know what to say in response. A niggling feeling began unfurling in her stomach and she pushed it away. It just wasn't possible.

"Did you manage to get Miss Granger to agree to a further date?"

Draco shook his head in the negative.

"She didn't agree?" Narcissa asked. No wonder Draco looked so confused.

"I didn't ask her."

Narcissa's trail of thought ended abruptly and the niggling feeling grew bigger. "You didn't?"

Draco deigned not to answer.

"Draco…" she began before coming to a stop. She remembered her son's angry response the last time she had mentioned this question but she found herself needing to hear his denial once more.

"Are your feelings about Miss Granger beginning to change?" she asked quickly.

Draco's head snapped to face her and for a moment he merely stared before scoffing. "Honestly mother. Of course not."

His response did nothing to remove the feeling in the pit of her belly.

"I ruined things by moving too quickly previously. I ended things on a good note with Granger yesterday. After all, there's no rush anymore. She was at the investor's meeting so the initial funds have already been invested. I can afford to move slowly from now on."

Narcissa nodded at Draco's sensible words.

"How was your day with your sister yesterday?" he asked her.

She looked up in surprise and a wide smile formed on her face. Thinking about the pictures in her hidden place, she called the house elf and asked him to fetch them for her. "I have some wonderful pictures to show you. Oh Draco, it was wonderful. I'm having such fun getting to know her again!"

"I'm glad. You deserve it. And from what I saw of her yesterday, she seemed like a very nice lady."

Narcissa paused. "You saw her yesterday?" she questioned.

Draco nodded his head. "I was still at Granger's when she came to collect Teddy."

"Oh of course." Narcissa said. "What did you think of her?"

"She seems very nice…other than her scary resemblance to Aunt Bella."

Narcissa laughed out loud and eagerly grabbed the pictures from the house elf's hand when he re-entered the room.

"Look at these pictures from our childhood. You'll barely be able to tell her and Andie apart!" she said excitedly.

For the next hour, Draco indulged her by listening to a detailed blow by blow of her previous day's activities. And as much as she enjoyed telling him every conversation that had taken place between her and her sister, the greatest moment was when she realised that for once, Draco felt closer to her than he had done in a long time.

She might just be getting her son back.

ooo

_21/07/2010_ _09:16, Cucina, Diagon Alley_

Padma apparated directly into Blaise's restaurant and looked around. She had only been to the restaurant so early in the morning twice before. It seemed eerily quiet without all its patrons.

As she turned to complete a full circle, she caught sight of a few staff that started the day early. Tom, one of the sous chefs, walked towards her. Quickly taking in her rumpled hair and clothes, he directed her to one of the seats at the bar. Padma took the seat but immediately began fidgeting.

"Is Blaise here?" she asked instantly.

Tom frowned at her question. "Mr Zabini isn't due to be coming in today. Would you like me to check with Sarah?"

Padma nodded and watched Tom walk away with a heavy heart. She still had to check Blaise's other restaurant, Piccola Cucina, but she wasn't as optimistic as she had been when she had first apparated to Cucina. She knew Blaise liked to visit both restaurants during one day so that he could spend more time at home with her and Benji.

The thought caused her stomach to churn and she took in a shaky breath. Merlin- just what had she done? Just how badly had she ruined things between them?

"I'm sorry Miss Patil; Sarah says he's not due in today."

Padma nodded silently.

"Is everything okay?" he asked worriedly.

Padma could have laughed at the question. Her mind desperately wanted to unburden itself but Tom was definitely not the right person to be talking to.

"It's fine Tom."

His worried expression didn't abate. "Do you want me to whip something up in the kitchen for lunch or dinner?" he offered.

Padma's mind immediately rejected the offer, despite the other half of her brain telling her that at least this way she wouldn't need to worry about cooking Benji something hearty to eat for dinner. But it felt wrong. She couldn't take food from Blaise's restaurant when she wasn't even sure what her relationship with him was.

"No thank you. I'm just going to head home." She told him.

Tom nodded his head and walked back to the kitchen. And when Padma stopped punishing herself on where Blaise had spent the night, she eventually apparated to Piccola Cucina, hoping that he would be there despite her mind…and gut…telling her otherwise.

ooo

_21/07/2010,_ _12:04, The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley_

Hermione settled into her chair as Harry pushed a menu towards her. Taking off her coat, she picked up the menu eagerly. Her stomach had long since been grumbling for food and she had been sorely tempted to simply buy a sandwich when the food trolley had made its rounds again at eleven thirty.

But she had forced herself to wait an extra half hour. Only she hadn't taken into account the time it would take Tom to cook/serve her food and the period of time seemed never ending in her mind.

Luckily the Leaky Cauldron was busy or Harry would be listening to loud growls coming from her belly. As she shuffled her chair around so she had more room on their small, round corner table, Harry put his menu down and waved over to Tom who answered instantly.

Hermione picked the only dish which she imagined would be pre-prepared and thus would only need to be warmed and thankfully, Harry followed suit.

"So how are things going with you and Pansy?" she asked. "I haven't talked to you in a few days. Keeping busy have we?" she teased.

Harry rolled his eyes at her words before answering. "Actually Pansy has been keeping me busy but not in the way you think."

"Oh?"

"She's been panicking about this Thursday. I've been tutoring her on the Weasley's and what to expect from the dinner."

Hermione felt immediately sympathetic for the witch. She knew how disorientating the Weasley's could be when you weren't brought up in such a loud family. The first time she had visited the Burrow she had struggled to find a quiet place to simply breathe and take in everything. She was sure it was going to be a whole lot worse with Ron and Molly's animosity.

"Have you spoken to Ginny about Pansy since she returned?"

She watched Harry hesitate. "Not really. I saw her at the last dinner but that's it. I was hoping you might be able to talk her around for me."

Hermione smiled. "Actually, you weren't the only one she stopped corresponding with."

Harry's eyebrows flew upwards. "What? I thought you sent letters back and forth?"

Hermione shrugged. "Only for the first few months and then it kind of just petered out. I don't think she was too happy with all my lecturing about getting in contact with you."

"But you always seemed so close."

Hermione didn't say anything to refute his words. She didn't want to spoil his view on the subject. She and Ginny had been close during Hogwarts but they'd still in been in different years and though Ginny was perfectly friendly whenever Hermione spent time at The Burrow, she always got the feeling that deep down Ginny resented her being around since it meant she wasn't the only girl at The Burrow anymore. And Ginny hadn't been too fond of the time Hermione had spent with Harry either, despite how platonic their friendship was.

"It's difficult when someone moves away and you never see them." She instead explained.

Harry nodded his head once in understanding but his unusually quiet demeanour made her aware that he was still nervous about the situation.

"Don't worry." She told him with a smile. "We'll get through it. I'm sure we can do some sneaky shifting around. With you and I sitting next to Pansy and maybe Bill and Fleur sitting opposite, it'll be fine."

At her words, Harry laughed out loud. Indignant, for she thought her plan was very good, she spoke defensively. "What?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing. It's just I had the exact same thought as you."

Hermione smiled. "Great minds think alike." She told him.

Harry's smile widened and he visibly brightened as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders. "That they do." He quipped back and Hermione laughed.

Their conversation was broken when Tom ambled over to them with their plates and for the next few minutes, silence settled over them as they busied themselves with forking pie into their mouths.

ooo

_21/07/2010, 10:10, 3 St John's Wood, London_

Padma apparated into her bedroom and instantly collapsed onto her bed. As she painstakingly toed off one her trainers from her foot, the effort left her exhausted and she didn't even bother trying to remove the other.

Curling up into a ball, she allowed her eyes to close.

Blaise hadn't been in either of his restaurants, his staff not having seen him since Saturday night.

Refusing to give up, she'd spent the next hour desolately walking around Diagon Alley, expecting Blaise to magically appear at her side.

He hadn't.

And when the rain had started falling, common sense had kicked in. She couldn't afford to become sick, not when she had to look after Benji and not when she was pregnant. Rubbing a hand over her stomach, she swallowed a sob threatening to rise.

How could she be so foolish? She loved Benji to death but she had never planned to get pregnant at such a young age…or out of wedlock. And here she was in the same situation again. And this time she couldn't even blame it on her naïve innocence.

She was a fully grown witch. An adult. And yet the way in which she had acted regarding Anthony's letters was distinctly not adult-like.

Once again, her active mind began berating itself and she scrunched her eyes together tightly, hoping that the pain it would create would override the caustic voices echoing in her ears.

Outside of her bedroom, the large house she had only just yesterday shared with her family rang eerily silent.

ooo

_21/07/2010 09:07, Daily Prophet Headquarters, Level 2, London_

A journalist with beady eyes and a malicious smile read through the article she had spent the day perfecting. She had spent the better half of the day trailing after Harry Potter in a bid to secure the all-important pictures she needed to accompany her article. She had hoped to secure some of the witch in question but she hadn't surfaced out of the Ministry and she herself hated entering the building. Too many enemies.

Oh well. The pictures of Potter hugging _her_ would have to do. But she needed to stick in a powerful headline. She wasn't stupid enough to think that people would read anything anymore just because it involved Potter's name or his picture.

As she read through the various scribbling's she'd made on a potential headline, another popped into her head and she wrote it down.

Mulling over the words she'd just penned, she said them over a few times and felt how they rolled off her tongue. She imagined the intrigue they would raise when the Prophet readers read it tomorrow morning.

And she knew she had it.

Circling the line with her quill, a satisfied smile on her face, she waved her wand so the words appeared over the article she had just written. With her other hand, she smoked her cigarette dry as she looked over the complete article proudly.

**_EXCLUSIVE: Pandora Pansy or Man-Eater Pansy? Hidden fiancée revealed!_**

The witch smiled. Tomorrow was going to be a good day…well, for her at least.

* * *

_Author's Note: Two chapters updated in the space of three days! Am I back in your good books yet? I tried to upload the chapter yesterday but I couldn't log in. Was that just me being stupid or was anyone else affected? Hopefully the latter! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading the update. Review? Until next time, Curiositykils._


	21. Chapter 21

**_"You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough." Frank Crane (1861–1928)_**

ooo

**_EXCLUSIVE: Pandora Pansy or Man-Eater Pansy? Hidden fiancée revealed!_**

_A few weeks ago, this reporter brought you a world exclusive on the new and burgeoning relationship between successful Auror Harry Potter and the equally infamous (for all the wrong reasons) Pansy Parkinson. _

_The Wizarding World was left reeling when pictures emerged of the unlikely couple dining in exclusive restaurant Juniper, Diagon Alley. Many theories were exchanged on just how Miss Parkinson had managed to snare the Wizarding World's Chosen One, especially given their fiery history (during the epic Battle of Hogwarts, Miss Parkinson selfishly offered you-know-who our saviour's life in exchange for her own). _

_Since the article, the couple have continued to see each other romantically, despite Mr. Potter receiving many Owls from worried readers that he undergo tests at St Mungo's __Hospital for Magical Maladies__ and Injuries to determine if he is under the influence of the powerful love potion, Amortentia. However, this reporter has been so worried about Mr. Potter's emotional safety, that she has gone one step further and looked into Miss Parkinson's history, only to unearth some salacious secrets. _

_Whilst Mr. Potter may have become smitten with Miss Parkinson over recent weeks, it seems Miss Parkinson sees Mr. Potter as one last fling before she returns to France…and her secret fiancé, Mr. Julian Rookwood. _

_ The handsome wizard, who has lived in France from a young age, was first introduced to Miss Parkinson by her Uncle who is a close friend of Mr. Rookwood's. According to a close source, the couple's relationship was very brief, lasting only a few weeks before Mr. Rookwood proposed to his now fiancée. _

_However it seems Miss Parkinson's hidden fiancée is causing a division between her and Mr. Potter who was seen having a cozy lunch (see picture above) with childhood best friend, Hermione Granger (see picture below) at the Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley. Miss Granger was seen comforting Mr. Potter as the two left the establishment. No official statement has been made by either party on the subject of their relationship._

_There is also no word on how Mr. Potter's childhood sweetheart, Miss Ginevra (Ginny) Weasley, is taking this betrayal. The red-haired witch was spotted two days ago and it seems she has returned to the country after spending the last few years since the war ended in Romania with her dragon tamer older brother. Those hoping that the breakdown of Mr. Potter's relationship with Miss Parkinson will heal the rifts between him and childhood best friend, Mr. Ronald Weasley (sister of Ginny Weasley) could be in for a disappointment as he himself, had a brief liaison with Miss Granger after the War ended. _

_As far as Miss Parkinson goes, it seems she has caused the damage she came to England to sow. My sources in France reveal that she has not yet returned to the country or set a date for her wedding to Mr. Rookwood but this reporter's prediction is that both will be occurring very soon. _

_For further information on the Battle of Hogwarts see page 3 and for the in-depth story on Harry Potter's relationship with Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger's brief relationship with Ronald Weasley see page 5._

_Hourly updates on the situation as it unfolds can be received by quik-e-message for a small price of 10 sickles for each message._

ooo

_22/07/2010, 07:16, Flat 2, Above Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Pansy had woken up ready to face the day.

She had taken her time in the bathroom; enjoying a long, cool shower after spending the night sleeping through the suddenly muggy heat.

She had pulled her hair into a bun instead of letting it fall around her face and had been very pleased with the results. Not only did the change in hairstyle make her look professional but they exposed the angles of her jawline making her dark eyes look as if they tilted at the corners like a cat's.

Keeping her make-up light and simple, she had moved into the kitchen and made the new breakfast dish Harry had taught her.

Blueberry pancakes.

When she had been at home from Hogwarts during the holidays, she would request her favourite breakfast every day without fail, never growing old of it. But since the War had ended, she had only had them once, the day she'd received her first pay check and decided to treat herself. Her mother had stressed on her that whilst they were guests at her Uncle's Chateau they did not do anything to get in the way.

And so Pansy had forcefully choked down the dry croissants and black coffee every morning with a polite smile splashed across her face. When she'd received her first pay check, the thrill of actually having earned her own money had caused her to seek out a small café that served breakfast throughout the day.

She'd devoured the fluffy pancakes in a record time and decided that they'd been worth every penny. But the treat had been expensive; especially considering that she had limited funds in her Gringotts account and she had been saving to pay her first month's rent. And so since then, she'd ruled her finances with a tight fist. The memory of eating the pancakes would have to suffice.

That is until she'd randomly told Harry two days ago that her favourite breakfast had been blueberry pancakes. When lunchtime had come around after their tutorial, he'd refused her help in the kitchen, not that she would have been much help, and after busying himself behind closed doors for a small while, he'd emerged with their food.

Pansy had almost cried as she'd seen his small smile and smelt the warm steam coming off the pancakes. And during lunch when she'd revealed that she was going to set herself a goal to learn how to cook the treat, Harry had taken her straight into the kitchen and taught her himself.

They'd had pancakes for dinner too!

Pansy smiled as she recalled the memory. Scrutinising her own pancakes, she decided that they weren't as perfect looking as Harry's but they looked edible enough. Taking the plate, she walked over to the table in the front room and sat down. She'd already taken one bite as she'd unrolled the Prophet and taken in the headline.

The follow second she found herself choking and blinking away the accompanying tears as she stared dumbly at the bold letters. Swallowing painfully, her heart started thumping erratically and she felt it jump and lodge into her throat.

No! Her mind started screaming. It wasn't possible! This couldn't be happening! How could they have found out…and why hadn't they found out and printed the entire truth!

Harry!

Pansy leapt off her chair and without thinking about the early hour, she found herself apparating away.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 07:19, Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

Harry awoke with a jolt as he heard the loud thumping on his front door. Due to his training, he came awake almost instantly, grabbing his wand and charming his boxers into a pair of jeans as he rushed down the stairs.

Casting a spell on the door, he slowed for a moment as he saw Pansy on the other side. Her face was panic stricken and she was holding a crumpled paper in her spare hand. He quickly moved to open the door.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled out as she looked at him beseechingly. "Please, just listen to me. I can explain!"

Harry's brow furrowed. "Pansy? What's wrong? Is everything alright?" he asked as he ushered her inside.

Pansy stepped inside before whirling around to face him. With a pained expression on her face, she wordlessly passed him the paper she was holding. This morning's edition of the Prophet he noted before his eyes fell on the day's headlines.

He read the words once before his eyes turned sharp and flicked back to look at Pansy. She swallowed audibly but Harry said nothing as he looked back down and quickly read the rest of the article, his eyes lingering on certain choice phrases and the pictures of him and Hermione leaving the Leaky Cauldron after their lunch yesterday.

It didn't take him very long to process the short piece. When he'd finished, he folded the paper in half to hide the article from sight before he looked back up to Pansy.

"I can explain." She said again, her fingers wringing together.

Unsure of what to make of the article but knowing how twisted Rita Skeeter's words could turn, Harry found that he could only nod. Gesturing for Pansy to enter the living room, she did so but didn't take a seat.

"I-France." She choked out before taking a hold of herself and taking in a deep breath before starting again. Harry waited as patiently as he could.

"You asked me once why I left France." She began and Harry nodded. "I know I told you that it was unbearable living with my mother and my uncle…but I didn't tell you why…They…pushed me into accepting a proposal from one of my uncle's friends."

"Rookwood?"

Pansy nodded before swallowing the bile rising in her throat. "I didn't think I had any other choice but to accept. My mother and I couldn't continue living at my uncle's forever and we had no money or any other funds. My mother pointed out that by me marrying Julian he would save us. I didn't feel like I had any other choice. And then the day before our engagement I felt as if I couldn't breathe. I told my mother that I couldn't go through with it all and she told me to stop acting so selfish. She said that generations of witches in our family had been marrying wizards they'd never even met before on their father's say so. She said that I was lucky that I'd met Julian and that he was only a few years older than me and handsome…Only I didn't feel so lucky. And so I ran…and came here."

She paused to take in a breath and looked away from him for a moment. When she finally gathered enough courage to look him back in the eye, her eyes were blazing fiercely.

"I broke our engagement when I came here." She said strongly. "And I left a note telling my mother that too. I promise I wasn't cheating on you." She finished.

Sending him another pleading look, her eyebrows rose as she waited for a response. Harry ran over what she had just told him and something in his gut told him she was telling the truth.

"Have you seen Rookwood since you broke off your engagement?" he questioned.

Pansy shook her head so violently that wisps of hair escaped the bun she had gathered it in. "I-I haven't even told my mother where I'm staying…She sent me an Owl though." She added quietly.

"And?" Harry pushed softly.

Pansy swallowed. "She said that I was acting selfishly and that Julian apparently hadn't given up on me yet. My uncle smoothed things over with him. She said that if I return to France, he'll be willing to forget the fact that I ran away."

"And do you want to return to France?"

"No!" she replied loudly and instantly. "I haven't been happy in a long time. When I first came to London I was so _scared_. I'd never been alone before. I didn't have a clue what to do or how to look after myself. But I managed it. I managed to get a job and a flat by myself. I like the fact that I'm in charge of the money I make and that no-one can take away the roof from over my head. I like the life I've built…And I like that my life includes you too. At least I'm hoping it still does." She spoke the last few words so quietly and sadly that Harry found himself walking towards her.

Pansy looked at him apprehensively and he cursed her mother and her uncle and Rookwood too for that matter. Coming within arm's reach of her, he pulled her towards him and hugged her softly. Despite that, she remained stiff in his hold.

"You believe me?" she whispered. It was then that Harry realised he wasn't wearing a T-shirt.

"Yes." he said as he pulled back and quickly accioed a T-shirt from the laundry basket in the kitchen. Once fully dressed and feeling slightly exposed he looked Pansy in the eye. "I like having you in my life too." He admitted.

At that, Pansy gave him a watery smile as she sagged in relief. Hugging him tightly, Harry saw that he was still holding the paper in his hand. He chucked it into the fireplace and caused the fire to blaze. Watching it burn gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

"Rita Skeeter's been writing lies about my life for a long time."

Pansy pulled away from him, worry once again staining her eyes. "But what about everyone else? The dinner with the Weasley's is tomorrow. What am I going to do? They already hate me!"

"Once _we've_ explained everything they'll see the truth. It'll be okay Pansy." He said.

She didn't look as if she believed him and he couldn't think of anything to say to alleviate her fears.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" he asked, changing the topic of conversation.

Pansy shook her head. "I made blueberry pancakes like you showed me but then I read the article."

Harry smiled. "How about you start making a fresh batch in the kitchen while I take a quick shower?"

Pansy smiled before nodding once.

Harry watched her walk into his kitchen and when the door closed behind her, his smile dropped as he turned to watch the remainder of the Prophet pages blacken in the flames. He had brushed off Pansy's worries about the Weasley's but he himself wasn't sure on how they would handle the situation.

Would they give him and Pansy some time to explain the article or would Molly, Ron and Ginny ambush her as soon as she walked through the front door?

His shoulder and neck muscles began tensing up as the stress started to spread from his head to the rest of the body.

Another thought entered his head.

How were people going to react to Pansy at work today? He knew how vicious they had been when she'd first started working at the office- would their behaviour worsen just as it was getting tolerable?

Sighing, Harry rubbed the muscles in his neck. He would think of the solutions in the shower…because he sure didn't have any at the moment.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 08:12, The Burrow, Devon_

Molly Weasley was cracking eggs into a butter filled saucepan when her youngest child ran into the kitchen. Surprised at Ginny's flushed face and the family's Prophet she was carrying in her hand, Molly wiped her hands on the hand towel and turned fully to face her daughter.

"Ginny? What is it dear?" she said worriedly.

Ginny walked over to her, a large smile blooming over her face. "Oh Mum…look at this!" she said excitedly as she handed over the copy of the Prophet.

Molly took in the headline and immediately took a staggered step backwards. Her spare hand came out to steady herself on the door of the oven as she took in the article with a gaped expression.

When she'd finished reading the story, she looked up at Ginny in shock.

"A fiancée!" she said numbly.

"A fiancée! Can you believe it! I knew this relationship wouldn't last! Harry would never stay with a witch that cheated on him."

Molly looked back down at the paper, disbelieving that Merlin had answered all her prayers. A matching smile began to stretch her lips.

"Oh, this is wonderful!"

"I know! I can't believe it! Do you think I should go over now...or is it too soon?" Ginny asked her.

Molly considered the question carefully. She and Ginny had made their displeasure about Pansy Parkinson quite clear to Harry and he may think it bad form if they turned up on his doorstep to console him. "…Maybe you should leave it until Harry comes back from work tonight? He might not have seen the article yet."

At her reply, Molly saw the disappointment on her daughter's face and her heart went out to her. She knew how depressed Ginny had been over the last few weeks. Moving closer to her, Molly rubbed her daughter's arm comfortingly.

"It will all work out dear. You'll see. Tomorrow's dinner will mark the beginning of a beautiful new start for this family. All of my children at the table once more. It will be wonderful."

She wiped the wistful tears gathering in her eyes as future possibilities whirled through her mind.

Ginny nodded her own head. "I was dreading Thursday but now…I can't wait." She admitted. "What are you planning on making? We have to make Harry's favourite!"

Molly laughed at Ginny's sudden enthusiasm. "I'd already planned to dear. He's been away from us for too long. He probably needs feeding up!"

Ginny chuckled as she moved over to Molly's old cookbooks. They'd been handed down from generation to generation and once Ginny herself was married and starting a family (with Harry!) she would finally pass over her precious recipes so Ginny could cook the old-fashioned good food for her new family.

Molly longed for the day Ginny got married and gave her more grand-children. She loved Victoire but Bill and Fleur lived so far away that visits needed to be planned. She wanted a life where her grand-children could pop over whenever they wanted.

And Ginny would be the one to provide her with that since it seemed Charlie, George and Ron had no firm plans of settling down anytime soon.

"Morning, Mum!" George said as he popped into the kitchen.

Molly smiled fondly at him before turning back to the stove. Planning and cooking Thursday's meal was important but first things first, she had a hungry family to feed.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 08:32, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_

Draco had just finished buttering his toast when he finished reading the front page of the Prophet. He had skimmed over the story; half disbelieving and half strangely proud that Pansy had showed some of her ruthless Slytheriness in keeping a hidden fiancée whilst shagging Potter. He hadn't thought she'd had it in her.

Turning the pages, he took a bite of toast until he was at the middle pages of the Prophet. He'd had an interview yesterday with a business journalist from the Prophet regarding his new business venture which he was proud to say, had launched onto the market yesterday. Early sales had been positive, mostly in part to the favourable location of the store in Diagon Alley. However, this article would enforce the advertisements he'd paid an inordinate amount for.

Reading the article with scrutinising eyes, he checked to see that the reporter had painted the store and its products positively before smiling with satisfaction.

"What are you smiling about?" Lucius demanded as he peered over at Draco from the top of his own paper.

Draco had to contain his snarling reply and keep his smile civil. "Nothing Father." He said as he quickly took another bite of toast to keep his mouth occupied.

He'd not told his parents that the business had been launched yesterday or about the article. He felt bad at withholding the information from his mother but he knew that if he told her, then she wouldn't have been able to keep it from his father and Draco wanted the gratification of seeing his father's shocked face when he came across the pages in the Prophet.

And so throughout the remainder of breakfast, Draco kept a careful eye on Lucius turning the pages of the newspaper every other minute or so. When Draco spotted a large portion of green, he knew Lucius had come to the appropriate page. For a moment, Lucius ignored the advertisement as he was in a habit of doing, but when he began reading the article, he coughed loudly as he spluttered and choked on his breakfast.

A happy rush spread through Draco's body and he flicked his eyes over to his mother who was looking at Lucius with a startled frown on her face.

"Lucius dear? Is everything alright?"

Lucius seemed to struggle to speak for a moment which pleased Draco further before his anger came bursting out. Throwing his paper down, he turned to face Draco with livid eyes.

"What is this?" he demanded.

Draco shrugged nonchalantly. "I believe it is a report on the launch of my business."

He heard his mother gasp as she ruffled through her own paper to find the article. Feeling bad once again, he turned to face her. "It's on page thirty-two Mother." He said.

Narcissa glanced at him once, her expression revealing nothing, before she quickly turned back to the paper and flicked her way to the correct page.

"Why is this the first we are hearing of it? And who authorised this colour scheme?" Lucius said as he waved to the advert.

Draco gritted his teeth as his own anger burst at Lucius's questions. His normally calm and collected demeanour was thrown out of the window. "I did." He said coldly. "And it's the first you're hearing of it because I had no wish to tell you."

Narcissa gasped at his answer and Lucius seemed to age before his eyes. Lines of fury and wrath marred his face as he pushed himself away from the table and stood up, in order to loom over Draco.

Scoffing at his father's bullying antics; Draco wiped his mouth and stood up himself. Lucius seemed taken aback by the action and said nothing for a moment. He seemed to utilise the moment's silence by gathering himself and he puffed his chest out and stood taller.

"How dare you?" he spat out furiously.

"Lucius!" his mother interjected, trying to diffuse the situation. She was ignored by both wizards.

"I have raised you since you were born. You have lived here for your entire life and now you disrespect me!"

Draco scoffed out loud. "You talk as if living here was a walk in the park! You put our lives at risk! As a father and a husband you should have protected us instead of putting us in danger. You were too busy trying to get into Voldemort's inner circle and kissing his arse to see what was happening with your family!"

At Draco's words, Lucius seemed struck dumb in shock. And then he blinked his eyes rapidly and raised his ever present cane in Draco's direction.

"No! Lucius!" his mother's cries were ineffective.

Anticipating the move, Draco stopped the cane easily and he looked into his father's eyes. "Not anymore." He said coldly before pushing the cane…and Lucius away from him.

"Draco…" his mother began speaking.

Lucius cut her off. "Get out of my house! Get out of my Manor!"

Draco smiled cruelly. "Gladly." He spat out before turning on his heel and making his way to his rooms.

He had nearly reached them when he heard light running footsteps from behind him. He turned to see his mother's stricken tear stained face. When she reached him, she flung herself at him and Draco's anger abated as he felt his mother's sobs. She looked up at him.

"Oh Draco. You can't leave."

"I have to Mother."

"No…I'll talk to him."

"No." Draco said sternly. "We both know it will be no use. We knew this day was coming."

"No." Narcissa said as her chin began trembling again.

"Come with me." Draco said strongly.

"I can't." Narcissa cried.

Despite knowing that that would be Narcissa's answer, Draco felt a heavy pressure of guilt at the thought of leaving her alone in the Manor.

"Yes you can." Draco said, trying once more. "Leave with me…today…now."

Narcissa smiled up at him and one of her hands came up to cup his cheek. "My son…my strong son…I can't leave your father. He's my husband…and despite everything that he's done, I still love him."

Draco tried to turn his head away but Narcissa held his face still.

"I love you Draco."

Draco felt angry and ashamed as he felt the beginning of tears begin to prickle at his eyes. "I love you too mother." He said in a gruff voice before Narcissa took pity on him and buried her face into his chest so he wouldn't need to look into her eyes anymore.

Draco hugged her tightly. Now that his mind had calmed down, he began to process and realise what had just occurred. He had always known that he would be leaving the Manor one day- it was in his plan- but he hadn't thought the day would have arrived so quickly. And that he would have had such little time to prepare.

As Narcissa continued to cry silently against him, he held himself still, allowing her to cry out his emotions whilst he kept his hidden.

Instead he focused on what he'd have to do. First would be to pack his belongings. Next would be checking himself into a hotel. It would be an extravagance he could once again afford thanks to the early sales; at least it would be fine for a short period of time until he found himself a house and settled down.

It would all be fine, he told himself sternly.

He had faced the world alone since he was a young boy. And now would be no different.

"Where are you going to go?" Narcissa asked as she wiped her face with her hands.

Draco handed her his handkerchief and she took it gratefully. "I'll check myself into a hotel before Owling you."

"Who are you going to talk to?" she said worriedly. "You don't have anyone else."

She didn't say the words maliciously, simply in a matter of fact tone. And the truth hit him like a Bludger to the chest.

He didn't have any friends.

He didn't need them, he told himself sternly in the next second.

But a small voice in his head reared up and let him know that despite how alone he might have faced the world before, nothing would be on the same scale of how lonely his future was going to be. After Hogwarts and the War, his "friends" had deserted him- not that losing them had been any great loss. He had turned to his mother whenever he needed to discuss things but now he knew that Lucius would be watching her like a hawk. Conversing with her would be difficult.

"I don't need anyone." He said to his mother…and himself.

He had his business, he was regaining his money and respect and he was distancing himself from his father. Once he'd achieved everything he wanted, he would be happy.

Not wanting to think about the subject further, he turned his head back down to look at Narcissa. "You must be careful from now on. He'll be watching you. If he finds out that you're talking to your sister again…"

"I know. I'll be careful."

Draco nodded. "I will Owl you my address when I check into the hotel…and when I've found a house." He reiterated.

He didn't need to say anymore. He knew that Narcissa understood that he was asking her to apparate to him if she ever needed to.

Narcissa nodded her head and when Draco saw her throat swallow and her lower lip begin to tremble once more, he hugged her again before turning away and walking into his room.

He needed no-one.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 09:12, 3 St John's Wood, London_

Padma apparated back after dropping Benji off at his school. Her head ached and so did her throat and stomach.

Morning sickness had struck her this morning with a vengeance and she was still feeling queasy. She had tried to maintain normal family life by eating breakfast with Benji and she'd vaguely answered his questions on when Blaise would return. For a moment, she'd struggled to remind the lie she'd first told him and had been on the verge of telling him that he'd gone on a produce buying trip when she'd remembered his so called sick relative.

Benji had swallowed her lie easily, a small pout that had formed at the fact that Blaise hadn't Floo called him as he usually did when he went away, was erased as Padma placed a bowl of chocolate covered cereal, a treat usually reserved for weekends, in front of him.

Watching Benji eat, she'd made her decisions. Blaise hadn't yet contacted her and it had been three days. She needed to accept facts. They were over and she needed to figure out what to do. The house they'd lived in for the past five years was Blaise's. Padma had initially paid rent when she'd first moved in but after she'd had Benji and her and Blaise had got together, he'd refused to accept money from her.

She couldn't stay here anymore.

Which meant she needed to find an alternative place to live.

Alright, she would do that today, she decided. It wasn't the same situation that she'd been in the last time. Last time she'd been a naïve school girl with pitiful funds of what she'd saved over the years from various birthdays and Christmases.

Now she had money saved up from her job and it was more than enough to put a deposit down on a flat for her and Benji…and the baby.

Which was point number two. She needed to contact her doctor so he could confirm the pregnancy even though there was no doubt. She needed to start a proper antenatal plan with St Mungo's as soon as possible.

She could do that today too.

Feeling better at the fact she had a plan and wasn't crying in self-pity, Padma walked down the stairs to where the Prophet would be waiting for her. Hopefully she would find something appropriate in the listing pages.

As she walked into the kitchen, she heard the doorbell ring. Puzzled at who it could be, she immediately jumped to Blaise and she practically ran to the door. Pulling it open, her smile fell off her face as she caught sight of the wizard standing on the doorstep.

"Hello Padma."

Padma swallowed. "What are you doing her Anthony? I told you that I didn't want to see you."

Anthony seemed taken aback at her anger but he shoved it off his shoulders. "I've brought some people over to meet you." He said.

Padma stifled her initial response. "I don't have any interest in meeting anyone you've brought. I told you to get your lawyer to contact me."

"Come on. It's us! We don't need lawyers; we can figure this out for ourselves."

Padma wanted to yell and scream at him. He was standing there smiling with no idea on how much he'd ruined her life. Stepping back, she made to close the door in her face.

"Padma wait-"

"Padma? Sweetheart?"

Padma froze at the voice she hadn't heard in a long time. Re-opening the door a few inches, she nearly fainted as she saw the witch standing there.

"…Mum?"

ooo

_22/07/2010, 09:02, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

Pansy walked out of the lift and onto the department floor. A hush fell over the room's occupants. Her heart fell at the reminder of how it had first been when she'd first started working at the department.

Not making eye contact with anyone, she stepped forward and listened to murmurs arise when Harry stepped out of the lift and stood next to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him crane his head around and she felt the tension being emitted from his body.

She had no doubt that he was mentally willing someone to confront them so he could take his anger out on them. When he'd come down into the kitchen from his shower, he'd told her that he was going to be raising issue with the Prophet about the false information in Rita Skeeter's article.

In Harry's words, "he'd had enough", and he wasn't willing to ignore what they printed about him further.

Pansy was anxious about the extra attention his proceedings against the Prophet would bring to them but she was secretly ecstatic that he believed her so strongly.

"They're all staring at me." She muttered as Harry walked her to her desk.

He slipped his arm around her waist and squeezed once. Pansy let herself sink into the warmth of his body for a short second before she straightened. She refused to show these people any weakness.

"Ignore them." Harry told her.

His words were a lot easier to say than carry out. As they neared her desk, Pansy sighed at the mess that greeted her. She heard Harry's teeth grind as he saw the jumble of paperwork and she rushed to calm him down.

"It's okay. It won't take me long to sort out." She said reassuringly.

Her response didn't seem to soothe his ruffled feathers. Thankfully, Kingsley stepped out of his office and walked towards them. Smiling at Pansy kindly, she felt ashamed at the fact she hadn't previously told him about Julian Rookwood when he had helped her so much, and she looked away.

When she gathered enough courage to look back at him, the tall wizard stared deep into Pansy's eyes before giving a small shake of his head and another small smile. Pansy breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled back at him thankfully.

"Harry. If you would please step into my office, I have a case I would like to discuss with you." Kingsley said the words loudly and in the noiseless room, his deep voice resonated around.

That accompanied with his piercing stare was enough to send the other staff back to what they had been doing previously.

"Will you be okay?" Harry murmured.

No? Pansy thought. She plastered a smile on her face. "Of course I will."

"You know where to find me. We'll have lunch together." He stated and Pansy nodded her head.

Watching him walk away, Pansy looked around once more nervously before looking back at her desk. Sighing, she got to work.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 09:12, 3 St John's Wood, London_

Padma clutched at the door so tightly her knuckles turned white and she felt welts forming in her palms. She couldn't bring herself to look away from her mother's face, longingly taking in the changes she'd missed out on since she'd last seen her.

And then she was thrown again as her father walked forward to stand next to her mother. Padma gasped again and held her breath.

"Dad…" she whispered to herself.

She looked over him greedily, taking in his suddenly greying hair and the deep grooves that had formed at the corner of his eyes. Tears sprang to her eyes.

"Padma." She heard her mother say again, her voice trembling.

Padma opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn't. Gaping like a fish, Anthony took over.

"Mind if we come in?" he said.

Padma shook her head numbly and stumbled backwards. She looked around Anthony as he walked past her, her eyes loath to latch onto anything else other than her parents. When they'd stepped up to her, it was her mother who first broke. Before walking through the open door, she pulled Padma into a tight hug and Padma's arms immediately came round to hug her mother tightly.

The cries she had been trying to hold in fell free and Padma tucked her head into her mother's neck and simply breathed in her scent. Oh Merlin, how she'd missed this! When she'd first left home, she'd gone out and brought herself a bottle of scent that her mother preferred, hoping that by inhaling its sweet fumes she would feel somewhat comforted. Only it hadn't seemed to work.

Nothing she could remember was like the smell she was breathing in now. She didn't want to let go. She had dreamed of hugging her mother so many times over the past few years, thinking that it would never happen again.

She felt a large hand run from the top of her head, down her hair and across her back. Lifting her head, she gave her Dad a watery smile before moving to hug him. He took a step back, his hand dropping from her and Padma froze at the small rejection. She held herself still, her hands forming into tight fists at her side to stop herself from latching onto him as she had done as a young child.

They were here, she told herself. That's all that mattered.

Wiping her face, she wordlessly gestured for them to enter the living room and she quickly closed the door and followed them. When she entered the room, Anthony was stood at the fireplace staring at the many pictures on the mantelpiece. For a moment, Padma felt a spark of anger burn in her chest in that he was present and intruding on the moment she had dreamed of for so long.

"Please sit." She said as she realised that everyone was still standing. Anthony took the armchair by the window and her parents the couch. Padma forced herself to sit in the other armchair. She might not be able to sit by her parents but this way, she was able to look straight at her faces…and memorise them.

"How have you been?" she asked hoarsely. Tears still thickened her throat.

Her parents made the non-committed murmurs and she saw their eyes move to the pictures Anthony had been studying earlier. Realising it was the first time they were seeing their grand-child, Padma wasn't sure what to do. Her mother answered her unspoken questions.

"Oh Padma…" she breathed out in wonder.

Padma stood before gathering as many pictures she could hold and moving over to her Mum. She handed the pictures over and took pleasure at her wide-eyed gaze as she melted at Benji's smile. Her mother passed the pictures over to her father whom after studying them just as closely, passed them over to Anthony.

Padma wanted to snatch the pictures back but Anthony had already seen them and she realised that this was his first time seeing Benji too.

"He's grown so big." Her mother smiled.

Padma nodded. "He just started school this year."

"Which school?" her father asked and Padma turned to face him.

She answered his question eagerly, knowing that education was important to him and this was his way of asking about Benji. "Little Wizard's."

Her father nodded proudly. "Good. That is a good school. Parvati is hoping Alia will get into Little Witch's in September."

Padma nodded. "I know. I gave her the reading material Benji used."

"You worked with him?"

Padma hesitated before deciding to tell the truth. "Actually, Blaise worked with Benji every night." She said proudly.

At the mention of Blaise's name, a tension seemed to spread throughout the room. Padma glanced at Anthony to find him staring at Blaise's picture with hard eyes. Once again, she wanted to snatch the pictures back to her chest.

"Is…he here?" her mother asked.

Padma shook her head and swallowed. "He's at work." She lied.

All three guests seemed relieved at the thought. Padma's heart thumped as she gathered the strength to ask her next question.

"W-why are you here?" she asked.

Her mother's eyes instantly turned wounded and her father stiffened and Padma hurriedly explained. "Not that I'm not happy." She said. "It's just been so long."

She watched her mother swallow. "Tell us more about you." she said as she ignored her question.

Padma let the topic go as she sat back down. "What would you like to know?" There was so much to cover.

"Where do you work?" her father asked.

Padma answered. "At the Ministry, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hermione and I are partners in running various field projects."

"Are you married?" her mother asked.

"…No. Blaise and I haven't got married yet." She said. And they never would since she'd messed things up so much.

Her parents didn't look too impressed at her answer but a quick flick in Anthony's direction showed his pleased expression.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked in a bid to break the awkward silence.

Her parents shook their heads and Padma sighed. "How have you been?" she asked instead.

"Good," her mother spoke. "Your father retired recently and your aunts and uncle came over recently when we celebrated his birthday."

Padma had to stop herself from bitterly pointing out that she knew those things already from what Parvati had told her. Her lack of response led to another silence before Padma decided to get to the point of the meeting.

"Why are you here together?" she asked again, this time directing her question to Anthony.

He lifted his eyes from Benji's picture in order to answer. "When you didn't reply to my letters anymore I decided to track you down. I thought you were still living at home with your parents. When I went over, they told me that they hadn't seen you since I'd …left."

Padma merely looked at him with a neutral expression to mask her running thoughts.

"I explained to your parents how big a mistake I'd made in letting you…and Benji go. I wanted you back in my life…I wanted to become a proper family and your parents decided to help me."

Padma reeled at the explanation. "I told you that I have a family already. Blaise, Benji and me. If you want visitation you need to get your lawyer to contact me."

"Padma!" her mother gasped.

"Anthony is the father of your child." Her father stated and Padma whirled to face him.

"_Blaise_ is the father of my child." She replied strongly. Her words left a ringing silence around the room and she continued steadily. "He was the one who looked after me when I was pregnant. He was the one with me when I went into labour. He was the one who helped me with the early morning feedings."

She stopped talking for a moment to direct her words from her father to Anthony. She took satisfaction in his flinch at her stare.

"Blaise was the one who taught Benji to walk…to talk…to read and write…to ride a broomstick. He is the one that looked after Benji whenever he was ill. He was the one who helped Benji do his homework and he came with me to parent evenings. _Those_ are the things that make a wizard a child's father. Not whose blood may run through his veins."

Anthony seemed struck dumb at her rant and Padma breathed in, gulping deep breaths to steady her thumping chest. The silence was broken by an apparating pop and Padma jumped. Her head whipped around and her gaze landed on "Blaise!" she breathed out.

She held her breath and for a split second it seemed like the room had frozen. Blaise took in the guests, his eyes skimming over her parents before fixating on Anthony who jumped up from his seat at the scrutiny.

Blaise's face twisted and Padma breathed out quickly, her mouth opening to explain. Blaise spoke first.

"Goldstein…What are you doing in my house?" He asked coldly.

Padma saw Anthony smirk. "Padma let me in." he said with a pointed smile.

Padma turned back to face Blaise, her head shaking. Only what could she say? That she hadn't let him in? Blaise flicked his eyes over to her before he quickly looked away.

"I see. Well I don't want to interrupt this little gathering. I only came to collect a few things." He apparated away and Padma heard his footsteps in their bedroom.

Without a word to her parents, she flew out of the room and rushed upstairs. In their bedroom, Blaise was packing his clothes into a small suitcase. Padma swallowed.

"Blaise please. I-I didn't know they were going to turn up this morning."

He froze in his actions, taking a deep breath before turning to face her. She looked at him pleadingly.

"What are they doing here?" he asked her.

Padma took a step closer to him. "Anthony said that when I started ignoring his letters he decided to track me down. H-he thought I was still living with Mum and Dad and he went there and said he wanted to be a family. Mum and Dad said they would help him find me and they just turned up when I came back from dropping Benji off!"

"…How is Benji?"

Padma gulped. "He misses you. He keeps asking me when you're coming home."

Blaise gave her look before shaking his head. "I needed time to think. And now I come home to find him here!"

"I promise I didn't invite him. It's just…he turned up with Mum and Dad and I froze!"

"And what do they want? For you to become the happy family with Anthony?"

"I told them no."

Blaise didn't look at her and she knew what he was thinking - that her family was her one weakness. She'd spent her childhood always pleasing them until she'd fallen pregnant…And becoming a family with Anthony would make them happy once more.

"Watch me!" Padma blurted out.

Blaise straightened at her words, a frown forming on his brow. "What?" he said.

"Watch me…Watch the memory." Padma said excitedly as she lifted her wand from her pocket, ready to extract the memory from her mind.

Having closed her eyes in preparation, she was startled when she felt Blaise's hand halt hers. Opening her eyes, she looked into his.

"No." he said simply.

Padma's heart thumped. "But you'll see!" she said desperately, growing confused when she saw Blaise shaking his head.

"If you do this then you'll never trust me again."

"I will! I won't resent you!"

Blaise merely smiled at her and she closed her eyes to savour the moment when he cupped her face with his hands.

"Please…" she murmured.

She felt Blaise's forehead rest on hers and her hands came to clutch at his robes, holding him to her tightly.

"I needed to think over the last few days." He said and Padma looked at him. "I need some more time."

Knowing that he was planning on leaving her again, she clutched him firmly. "How much more time?" she asked quietly.

"I'll Owl you tomorrow, I promise."

Padma looked at him and when she didn't let go, he unfurled her fingers from his robes. He continued packing his case and she stood there silently. Two thoughts whirled around her head and she bit her lip to keep the words to herself.

She wanted Blaise to come home to her and Benji but she refused to trap him by letting him know she was pregnant. And her second thought- that he was packing an awful lot for just a day's stay away from her.

"Shouldn't you go back downstairs?" he pointed out. "Your parents will be waiting."

Padma nodded but didn't move. She watched with a heavy heart as he zipped up the case and shrunk it so it fit into his pocket. Turning to face her, he repeated his earlier words. "I'll Owl you tomorrow."

Padma gave a solitary nod and if she was expecting a hug or even a peck on the cheek, she was disappointed as Blaise apparated out without a further word. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to see the positive of the situation as she gathered herself.

Blaise had said he would Owl her tomorrow. If they managed to sit down and talk she knew she could get him to trust her again…she hoped.

Shaking her head to dislodge the thought, she walked back downstairs again. Her parents were still seated and looked at her when she entered the room. She ignored them and looked at Anthony, who was still standing.

"I want you to leave." She said clearly.

Anthony laughed as if she was joking. "Padma…" he said with a smile before his laugh petered off at her stern look. "You can't be serious?"

"I'm very serious. I want you to leave my house immediately. If you wish to discuss visitation rights you will need to contact my lawyer. If you refuse then I will have no choice but to contact the Auror's on harassment charges."

Anthony spluttered as her parent's gaped. Padma refused to back down and she continued to stare at Anthony with a pointed stare. He finally got the idea as he apparated away a few moments later. Breathing in freely, Padma turned to face her parents.

This would be more difficult.

"Mum, Dad, I love you both- I always have. But Blaise is part of my family now. He's Benji's Dad and he has been since he was born. If you can't accept that…" her voice wobbled. "Then I don't know what to do from here."

"If this Zabini is your family then where is he? He should be here standing by you." Her father demanded angrily.

Padma took in a deep breath despite the young witch inside of her wanting to cower and bow down to her father. "Blaise has stood by my side for years. There are some things that I need to do alone."

"Anthony is offering you everything! He wants to marry you!" her father said loudly.

"Padma…please think about what you are saying no to." Her mother said quietly.

Padma looked at her. "I'm saying no to the man who left me when I was pregnant. I'm saying no to the man who's spent the last five years away from me and his own child."

"Pari…get your things, we are leaving."

Padma watched her Dad stand from the sofa, he refused to meet her eyes and Padma felt the sting of rejection again. Her mother stood shakily, her hesitant eyes looking at her daughter. Padma looked at her pleadingly but she knew the inevitable. Despite this, she found herself turning to her father again.

"Dad…please."

"No!" he snapped. "You shame our family by living in sin with this evil wizard."

Padma turned to face her mother once more. She refused to meet her eyes and Padma felt the tears gather in her own. This couldn't be happening again…she was losing them again…they were leaving her again…just like Blaise.

They apparated out with one last look at her and Padma stared blankly at where they had sat. Moving over to the sofa, she sank onto its surface before her body slumped over and curled into a ball.

Burying her eyes into a cushion, she once again wept for the loss of her parents.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thank you for reading and until next time, Curiositykils_


	22. Chapter 22

**_"What we call our future is the shadow that our past projects in front of us." Proust (1871-1922)_**

_22/07/2010, 10:31, Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione looked up from the papers she was reading and her otherwise calm face frowned when she caught sight of Padma making her way over the departmental floor. As the witch grew nearer to her, Hermione ran worried eyes over her friend's pale face and her strained features.

Automatically looking down at the dustbin at the foot of her desk, Hermione checked to see that she had actually received Padma's earlier note and that she wasn't going crazy. She saw the slightly crumpled paper and wondered once again what the witch was doing here when she'd already called in sick.

Hermione waited until Padma had all but slumped in her seat and taken in a few deep breaths before she turned to face her fully.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in confusion. "I thought you weren't coming in today. You don't look too well." She commented in concern.

Padma gave her a wan smile but simply shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine- just a little queasy. Nothing to worry about."

Hermione's frown deepened. "Are you sure? You still look peaky. What did the Healer say?"

Padma seemed to freeze for a short moment. "I'll Floo him tonight but really, I'm okay to work. Now catch me up on what's been happening here." She said in an overly bright tone.

Hermione still wasn't convinced but she wasn't about to push Padma further, especially when she looked ready to keel over at any second. Instead, she shook her head and reached over to the folder where she kept her notes. "I can't believe Blaise let you out of the house when you're ill." She said lightly with a smile.

As she turned back to Padma, the smile slipped off her face as she caught sight of Padma's wide eyes.

"Padma? What's wrong?" she asked quickly. Her hand automatically reached over to pat the back of Padma's hand. The witch didn't accept the comfort and instead she slipped her hand out from under Hermione's hold and shook her head.

"Nothing." She said in a choked voice before she quickly looked down so her eyes were hidden.

This time Hermione wasn't letting it go. "Maybe I should Owl Blaise and tell him to come and pick you up? I think you really ought to be in bed today." She said out loud.

Padma's shoulders shook before she snapped her head up at Hermione's plan. "Don't Owl Blaise!"

Her sudden exclamation had Hermione jerking back in her chair. "Why not?" she asked in a bewildered tone.

"Because…" Padma began before her lip trembled and she looked back down again.

Hermione bit her own lip, unsure on what was wrong but getting an unconscious feeling that something wasn't quite right. "I'm sure he won't mind coming to get you." She eventually said.

Padma swiped a furious hand over eyes. "He's not at home." She said in a quiet voice.

"Okay, I'll Owl him at Cucina then."

Padma let out a hoarse laugh. "He's not there either." She said in a choked voice.

Hermione saw how upset Padma was getting and immediately lowered her voice into a more soothing tone. "Okay, why don't you tell me where he is?"

"I don't know…I don't know where he is. He left me!"

Hermione's mouth fell open before she quickly snapped it close. Padma was shaking silently in front of her and it was only when a few tears slipped out from behind her closed eyelids that Hermione finally managed to shake off her surprise. Rising from her seat, she quickly walked around their desks and knelt on the floor next to Padma's chair.

"It was my fault! We had an argument because of something I did and… I think I've lost him, Mione!" she sobbed out in heavy whispers.

Hermione's head reeled, her mind demanding answers in order to come up with possible solutions but it was obvious that Padma wasn't going to be in a state to offer any answers any time soon.

Instead, Hermione grabbed Padma's bag and lifted the crying witch onto her feet before she herded her into the tea room. Surprisingly for this time of the morning, the tea room was empty and Hermione led Padma over to a table. After taking her seat, the witch clutched at her face with both hands, hiding her features from Hermione as her shoulders silently quivered.

Hermione could think of nothing to do but rub Padma's back and murmur soothing nonsense. After a few minutes, when Padma's shakes seemed to lessen and the witch began rubbing at her face in order to remove any evidence of her tears, Hermione took her own seat.

"I can't believe…" she began to say before realising that probably wasn't the best way to go about the conversation. "Padma, if I know one thing it is how much Blaise loves you…_and_ Benji. He wouldn't ever leave you."

Padma shook her head. "You don't know what I did to him. Oh Merlin- I've ruined everything. I can't believe this is happening again."

Hermione didn't pretend to understand the last comment. "Why don't you tell me what happened?" she offered.

Padma bit her lip. "I can't. I need to talk to Blaise first. I need to explain-"

"Okay. Okay." Hermione soothed when Padma's voice began to rise. "So why don't you talk to him? You could Owl him?"

"He said he needed to think. He said he would Owl me tonight."

"There you go!" Hermione said optimistically. "He wants to talk to you. I'm sure you'll work it out."

"I don't know." Padma said worriedly.

"I know." Hermione stated firmly. "You and Blaise are the strongest couple I know. Blaise is crazy about you. He's not going to give you and Benji up after one fight. You've been together for years!"

She watched Padma ponder her words but she didn't say anything. Hermione rested a hand on top of Padma's clasped ones.

"Look, take the day off and go home. Sort things out with Blaise and if you're feeling up to it, come in tomorrow, otherwise Monday. Don't worry about things here, I can handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Hermione smiled. "Go home and get some rest. And give Benji a big kiss for me. If you want me to look after him tonight whilst you and Blaise sort things out let me know, I'd be happy to."

Padma smiled even though it wobbled at the corners and she looked at Hermione gratefully. "Thank you." She said as she stood.

Hermione stood from her own chair and scoffed. "Don't be silly. You don't need to thank me. Now go!"

Padma gave her one last appreciative look before she walked out of the room. Hermione paused for a moment and she shook her head. There was no way Padma and Blaise were going to break up. They were perfect for each other- even a blind man could see that!

Although it just went to show that even the most perfect of relationships needed work. The thought caused her to snort out loud. And here she was out looking for a suitable wizard to date. She must have been crazy.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 11:45, Flat 2, Above Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Julian Rookwood looked over the bar where his errant fiancée had apparently been living. He hadn't believed it when he'd first caught sight of the place. In fact he had nearly apparated over to his investigators and demanded to know just where they were getting their useless information from. But he'd thought better of it and now, after a quick word with the bar's owner and after a small exchange of Galleons, he'd ascertained just when Pansy had moved in, what her monthly rent was, where she worked (although he knew that already) and what time she usually left in the morning and came back in the evening.

He could barely contain his disgust as he looked over the grotty area. He couldn't understand why she was willingly living in such penury when he was offering her a life of privilege and status in the French Wizarding community.

Another swell of anger surged through his body as he looked around and spotted a small stall selling the day's Prophet. The headline screamed out at him and his fingers fisted tightly- whoever had spilled their guts to the vultures in this country were going to rue the day they had by the time he was done with them.

He'd been made a fool of once already in his home country and he had no plans of sitting idly by whilst he was made a fool of once again in England.

With a quick check of his watch, he gave the Silver Serpent Bar one last look before apparating away. He would be back soon after he'd managed to calm down and he and Pansy were going to have a very short talk and an even shorter trip back to France.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 12:05, The Burrow, Devon_

Ginny Weasley apparated into her bedroom and angrily threw down her handbag. It landed with a thud on the floor and some of its contents rolled out and disappeared under the bed but she couldn't bring herself to care.

How was it possible? Merlin- how_ blind _was Harry?

Clenching her teeth together until her jaw ached, she hurried from her bedroom and clomped down the stairs as she headed for the kitchen. Her mother looked up in surprise as she entered the room, her red eyebrows nearly disappearing into her similarly coloured hair.

"Ginny? What-"

"He's still with her!" she spat out furiously.

"What?" her mother said in a confused tone as Ginny walked over to the sink to fill a glass of water. She only took one sip before she slammed the glass back down on the surface.

"_Harry!_" she answered.

"I thought you were going to wait until this evening to see him?" Molly replied.

"I was! I-I just needed to see him. Talk to him. I thought we could go for a casual lunch. Only it turns out that he was already at lunch…with _her_!" she scoffed.

"Parkinson?" Molly queried numbly. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I! It was all over the papers, clear as day that she cheated on him. I mean for Merlin's sake, she's engaged! What does he see in her?"

"Maybe you saw wrong?" Molly hedged, her tone containing a disbelieving tone.

Ginny shook her head as she crossed her hands across her chest. "I didn't see them leave." She admitted grudgingly. "When Harry wasn't there I asked Kingsley where he was. He told me that he'd seen them leave together."

Molly frowned.

"What Hippogriff shit is she feeding him?" she demanded angrily.

The fact that her mother didn't berate her for her language showed just how stunned she was. Ginny shook her head again. Just wait, she thought viciously.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 19:31, The Burrow, Devon_

Pansy ran her shaking fingers through her hair and wiped her dress straight for the umpteenth time that hour. Her mouth had gone dry and her heart was beating erratically in her chest. No-one could see it but she could feel the irregular beats and hear them whooshing in her ears.

Dear Merlin she must be crazy for doing this. From beside her, she felt Harry's hand land on the small of her back in an obvious gesture of comfort. She turned her head slightly to the side so she could see his encouraging smile and his twinkling eyes. Neither did anything to bolster her rapidly flailing courage.

"You'll be fine." Harry whispered to her. Pansy swallowed the ball of nerves in her throat but couldn't bring her lips to form a smile. Before she could answer in the form on a non-committal noise, the door to the Burrow opened.

Harry had wanted them to apparate into the Burrow directly as he was used to but Pansy had convinced him that it wouldn't be proper since this was the first time she was "formally" meeting the Weasley's. Harry had shaken his head in amusement and tried to reassure her that it wasn't necessary but Pansy hadn't budged an inch. Thank Merlin, because she needed every spare second to gather herself.

She held her breath in her lungs as the door pulled back to reveal Hermione Granger. Slowly the ache in Pansy's chest relieved at the bright smile she received from Hermione. The brown haired witch stepped forward to give Harry a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before she stepped back, allowing her and Harry to step past her and enter the Burrow.

Pansy found herself looking around at the area as she got her first glimpses of the home she had made fun of during Hogwarts. Though this was technically the first time she was seeing the house, it was largely just as she had described it during her younger years. The area had a shabby/messy look which was foreign to an ex-blueblood like her. Belongings and knick knacks seemed to have piled upon each other on the table in the hallway and from what she could see of the sitting room, it was much the same.

But despite the clutter, the area had a warm feeling to it.

She didn't hear the conversation that was occurring between Harry and Hermione but when she felt the slight pressure from Harry's hand on her back, she followed him blindly as he led her in further. The ache reappeared in her chest and she immediately straightened her posture and lifted her head, adopting a confident stance.

The conversation in the sitting room didn't halt all together when she and Harry stepped into the room but it did hush slightly. Many pairs of eyes ran over her, and then over Harry's before landing on the place where they were both touching.

She vaguely heard Harry offer a general hello to the room's occupants and when the pairs of eyes flicked back to her, Pansy swallowed before smiling.

"Hello." She greeted them herself. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner."

She directed her words to Arthur Weasley and saw his unhidden surprise before he gave her a polite smile and nodded at her. "You're welcome. Any friend of Harry's…"

Pansy smiled at him thankfully. Harry directed her over to the sofa and when they took their seats, Pansy had to stop herself from tumbling over as she sank more deeply into the worn cushion than she had allowed for. She quickly straightened her dress and hoped that no-one had seen her minor mishap. She fumbled slightly as to what to do with her legs since her depressed position meant she couldn't fold them in the manner she had been taught to.

Around her, conversations struck back up again, all of them drowned out by Victoire's chattering in the middle of the room as she explained something enthusiastically to her father.

So that was Bill, Pansy remembered from her training. Her eyes had already sought out his wife whose fair hair seemed to be shining like a beacon in the setting sun streaming into the room. Arthur was sitting opposite her in a large armchair with a mismatched shawl stretched over the back. His attention was firmly fixed on his grand-child but Pansy saw him flick his gaze every so often around the room as he took in his family around him.

So far so good, Pansy thought to herself. But that being said, she had only yet encountered the family members who Harry had informed her were on "her side".

And then she caught sight of today's Prophet lying on a rickety table next to Arthur's chair. She froze immediately as shock flooded her system. How had she forgotten about the article? She had been so worried about facing Molly and Ron that she had somehow forgotten about the added fuel she had given them to use against her.

"So how long 'ave you been back from France?" Fleur asked, interrupting her momentary panic.

Pansy turned to face the woman in time to catch the wistful look on her face and she swallowed tightly before answering. "A while now." She replied briefly.

"Do you miz it?"

Pansy stiffened. Was Fleur asking her about the article in a roundabout way? "No." she replied loudly.

The French witch looked mildly offended at Pansy's curt answer and she flushed. Dear Merlin, was she just being overly paranoid? Before she could smooth over any unintentionally ruffled feathers, two men burst into the room, followed by one she recognised. She looked away from Ron's stiff stare directed at both her and Harry, instead choosing to focus on one polite and one mischievous smile.

"Pansy this is Charlie and George." Harry introduced. Pansy smiled and said her hello's to the two wizards.

"Well well, so this is the infamous Pandora Pansy then?" George said.

Pansy would have been offended had it not been for the wizard's twinkling eyes. She remembered what Harry had told her about George and remembering the man's antics at Hogwarts, she retorted without skipping a beat. "I believe it's Man-Eater Pansy now." She said, deliberately referencing the article, making an on the spot decision that it would be better if she mentioned the article herself rather than waiting for someone to use it as a barb against her.

The room stilled for a millisecond before George burst out laughing. His loud amusement seemed to relax the room's remaining occupants, bar one, and nearly everyone smiled.

"So you're saying it's not true then?" Ron demanded, his blue eyes still fixed on her fiercely, a disbelieving red eyebrow high on his forehead.

Pansy debated on how much to tell the Weasley's about her previous life in France. A stubborn voice in her head didn't want to tell them anything- it was her private life for Merlin's sake- but she knew she couldn't say nothing if she wanted things to work with Harry.

"I've never cheated on Harry and I'm not engaged." She eventually said.

Ron didn't look as if he believed her. Unfortunately neither did Charlie or Fleur. Could they tell that she was hiding something?

"I met Julian Rookwood at a party once. He waz very charming." She said, keeping a careful eye on Pansy's face.

Pansy made sure her features remained schooled. "Was he?" she said in a deliberately innocent tone.

George laughed out loud again.

"What's so funny in here then?" a voice said from the doorway.

Pansy turned her head and saw Ginny Weasley saunter into the room, her eyes immediately lighting up when she saw Harry before sharpening as they landed on her. Pansy gave the witch a cool smile in return to which the witch merely smirked.

"Harry…long time no see."

From beside her, Pansy felt Harry tense up and she turned her head to give him a confused look.

"Ginny." He acknowledged before he deliberately shifted his head to ask Hermione something.

Pansy caught the look on Ginny's face and her nervousness came back. Instinctively she knew that tonight wasn't going to go off without a hitch.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 19:36, 3 St John's Wood, London_

Padma tried to concentrate on the game she was playing with Benji but her gaze kept going to the window which she had purposely kept open for the last two hours as she waited impatiently for Blaise's Owl.

"Mummy, it's your turn!" Benji interrupted her thoughts.

Padma turned back to her son and moved her miniature dragon a few spaces up the board. Benji gave her a broad smile before he bent his head and intensely studied the board as if his life depended on the next move he made.

When meeting Benji at the end of the school day, she had seen the disappointment on his face when he'd seen that it was still her picking him up and not Blaise who usually carried out the school runs. When Benji had once again asked when Blaise would be home, the familiar lie had rolled off her tongue and for half an hour afterwards, she had let herself believe it herself.

In an effort to cheer Benji up, she had taken him to out to a restaurant to eat Spaghetti Bolognese and whilst he'd wiled the hour away, comically eating his noodles whilst sauce slathered his face, Padma had depressingly realised that this was the first time in five years that she and Benji were eating in an Italian restaurant that was not one of Blaise's.

"Mummy, it's your turn again!" Benji stated exasperatingly.

"Sorry little man." Padma apologised as she rolled her dice and moved the dragon onto the same piece of "land" as Benji's. He laughed uproariously as he scooped up his dragon and attacked hers.

Padma shook her head at his antics.

"Can we play again?" he asked in a hopeful tone.

Padma smiled. "No…it's your bedtime."

Benji made grumbling noises as she packed up the game but didn't say anything as she swatted him up the stairs for his bath. Padma sighed as she watched him go and disappear out of sight. She turned back in order to look at the open window one more time before she left the room.

When would Blaise's Owl arrive? She wondered dishearteningly as she climbed the stairs herself.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 19:45, The Burrow, Devon_

After Ginny's announcement that dinner was ready and the family were making their way into the kitchen, Harry was very aware of the fact that Molly was the only one who hadn't yet come to greet him and Pansy. She had stayed in the kitchen and when the conversation in the sitting room had quietened in some places, Harry could hear her in the kitchen, banging away with the pots and pans.

His heart had jumped in his throat when Ginny had entered the room and made her small quip about not seeing him in so long. He'd thought he was done for and was in the middle of berating himself on why he just simply hadn't told Pansy about Ginny's…interruption after their date when he'd realised that Ginny hadn't mentioned anything.

But he knew the look in her eyes and he wasn't off the hook yet. Which made him wonder just who else she had told about their brief kiss?

Harry entered the room in front of Pansy and his nose was hit by the smells of cooking. Like any other man, he sniffed in deeply as his stomach began to clamour at the prospect of dinner. Molly turned from the hob when she heard her family make their way into the room and when Harry appeared in the doorway, she smiled her familiar smile and made her way over to him. He was enveloped in her tight hug and looked down on her fondly as she excitedly recited what was dinner (all his favourites) and coddled him on whether he was getting enough sleep.

Harry answered her questions and reassured her that he was getting all the sleep he needed before he extracted himself from her hold and stepped back, bringing Pansy closer to him.

Molly's smile froze on her face as she looked over at Pansy before looking back at him. He heard Pansy clear her throat before she spoke, his Auror training picking up the slight tremble in her voice. She was nervous although it probably didn't help that the rest of the family were all standing on the side-lines watching raptly and waiting to see how the encounter would go.

"Hello Mrs Weasley. Thank you for inviting me for dinner- it all smells wonderful."

Harry squeezed Pansy's waist and supressed the mounting feeling of dread as Molly's smile stayed frozen in place and she didn't speak. She seemed shocked that Pansy was actually here in her kitchen. It was as if she'd finally realised that their relationship wasn't just a malicious rumour made up by the Prophet or a joke orchestrated by her family.

"Molly." Arthur said in a firm voice.

Hearing her husband speak seemed to snap Molly out of her reverie and she nodded her head as she looked back at Pansy. "Thank You." She said in a semi stiff tone before she dismissed them and turned back to her family.

Waving her dishcloth she shooed them into their seats. "Well come along dears. What are you all waiting for? Dinner can't be served until you've all taken your seats."

Remembering his and Hermione's plan, Harry tugged on Pansy's hand and quickly ushered her into a seat next to Hermione. As he made to take the seat on the other side of her, he heard Molly speak.

"Oh Harry dear. Why don't you sit here? Next to Ginny? It's been so long- I thought you might like to catch up?"

Harry hesitated, unsure of how to get out of Molly's request. Thankfully George stepped in to save him. With a loud bark of laughter, he dismissed the idea.

"Don't be silly Mum. Of course Harry wants to sit next to Parkinson- they're in lurrrrve!"

Harry shot George a look which was a mixture between gratitude and promise of revenge. When he looked back down at Pansy, he saw her red flushed cheeks and his own began to colour in embarrassment.

Molly looked as if she was going to break her wooden spoon in half and as soon as George was done seating Victoire on the chair next to him, he received a swift hit on the head from Molly's spoon as she passed him by. George's wince and rub to the head were enough for Harry to renege his own revenge plans.

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all?

ooo

_22/07/2010, 20:01, Cucina, Diagon Alley_

Blaise looked up from the restaurant's books unable to concentrate on the numbers in front of him. From his position in his darkened office that overlooked the dining area of the restaurant, he noted the many full tables and his efficient staff keeping a close eye on things.

An oncoming headache had him rubbing his fingers over his forehead and pinching his nose between his eyes. He needed a break. He needed to eat dinner. After years of eating dinner early at five thirty, latest an hour after that, his stomach had begun complaining at the lack of food inside it.

But the thought of food combining with his queasy stomach and the ache in his body from not having seen Benji…and Padma… in so long was too much to think about.

He had dismissed the idea of eating dinner until another pang of pain hit his temples. His headaches were rare but when they did come on, Padma had a way of soothing them with her magic fingers. Placing his elbows on his desk and his head in his hands, he pushed his fingers through his hair. Unfortunately they didn't seem to hit the same pressure points as Padma had learnt from her grandmother and the action did nothing for him.

Groaning, he stood from his desk and made his way over to a small box on the shelf behind him for the inevitable Pain-Relief Potion despite his hatred for such medicines. He'd seen what an addiction to potions could do, had experienced the lifestyle courtesy of one of his stepfathers and Blaise had made sure that he wasn't ever in a place where he would succumb to the same fate.

Quickly swallowing the potion, the results were instantaneous but since he still had the books to do tonight, he knew he'd need to eat something to stop the potion hitting him too hard and causing him to space out.

Sighing, he stepped out of his office and made his way down to the restaurant. He decided to head over to the bar first to check in on how things were going before he would go into the kitchen and ask them to bring him something up to his office. As he made his way over the restaurant floor, he caught sight of a familiar blond head as the wizard was led by his maitre'd to a table for one.

With a puzzled frown, Blaise hesitated before he remembered the broomstick Draco had given to Benji and Teddy before he made his way over to him. Draco stiffened as he caught sight of Blaise before he stood waiting for Blaise to reach him.

"Draco. How are you this evening?" Blaise said as he extended out a hand.

Draco shook it as he replied. "Well. You?"

Blaise nodded his head once. "Table for one?" he indicated with a jerk of his head.

Draco nodded but said nothing.

"I'm surprised you're not enjoying dinner at the Manor."

Blaise watched Draco tense. "I'm no longer residing at the Manor." He informed in a stiff voice.

Blaise felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. Last he had heard, the Malfoy's were all living together out of necessity. Draco's business must be really taking off if he was able to get out from under Lucius's thumb so quickly.

"I take it business is going well."

Draco smirked. "Very. There was a niche in the market. I'm surprised that no-one had exploited it before I did."

"You've patented the idea?" Blaise questioned.

The blond nodded. "The patents have been approved. I hope to receive the paperwork in a few days."

Blaise was surprised again. When he had heard about Draco's plans for his business at the last dinner party he and Padma had thrown, he had been impressed but reluctant to believe that the wizard he knew from Hogwarts had grown up enough to carry them out successfully. Draco had always been the kind of wizard whose mouth was bigger than his actions. Apparently a lack of funds was the sufficient push needed for Draco to be successful.

"Congratulations." Blaise offered.

Draco accepted with a nod of his head before there was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Well I should let you get back to your dinner. I was just on the way to the kitchen myself."

"Why don't you join me?"

The words seem to escape Draco's mouth in a rush and Blaise saw the surprise on Draco's face as he heard back what he'd just said. Blaise hesitated for a moment before realising he had no real reason to decline. It was either dinner alone in his office or dinner with some company, which he desperately needed after spending so long alone in his desk chair or hotel suite. And it seemed that Draco wasn't the arrogant arsehole he had thought him to be.

"Why not." He said as he indicated to the nearest waiter. A second place setting appeared on the table in an instant and both wizards took their seats.

As they both studied the menu, though Blaise knew it off by heart, Draco spoke. "So how's Ravenclaw and your kid?" he said, making polite conversation.

It felt like Blaise had been punched in the chest and the previous nausea in his stomach and the ache in his chest intensified. When it had come to writing the promised note to Padma earlier on, he had been stuck as to what to write. In the end he had copped out and had sent her a sparse note that focused entirely on Benji with a small line at the end that said he hoped she was well before promising he would write again tomorrow.

He knew it wasn't what she was hoping for and as much as he wanted to forgive and forget, there was still a little niggle of doubt in his head that refused to go away no matter how hard he tried. He knew it wouldn't be fair to either of them if he went back to Padma without sorting out his own head first.

"They're both well." Blaise replied to Draco's question.

As his eyes flicked back down to his menu, Blaise spotted the key card Draco had laid on the surface of the table by his water glass.

"The House Hotel?" Blaise questioned.

"It's a temporary arrangement."

Blaise scoffed. "Me too." He said before he could help himself.

Draco smirked as a pale eyebrow lifted upwards. "You're staying at the House Hotel?"

Blaise nodded stiffly once, keeping his head down in embarrassment at the revelation.

"What happened? The Ravenclaw kick you out?" Draco asked with a smile on his lips.

Blaise gave him a stony stare. "It's a temporary arrangement."

Draco laughed out loud as the waiter came up to their table to take their order.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 20:19, The Burrow, Devon_

Harry conversed with his friends and family whilst Pansy sat quietly beside him and watched the goings-on around her. Hermione had tried to include her in conversations that were taking place and so had Harry but the one time she had offered a comment on the topic being discussed, the awkward silence that ensued told her all she needed to know. Maybe it hadn't been best to give her opinion on the subject of whether the House system in Hogwarts should be disbanded. Everyone else at the table had been all for it bar her.

After that, she'd kept her mouth shut and simply watched the rest of the diners talk. Though some of the Weasley's weren't being outright rude to her, the earlier casualness she had felt in the living room had evaporated and it felt as if under the stare of the Weasley matriarch, they were merely tolerating her presence at their family dinner. Ginny had snagged the seat opposite her and so not only had she had to bite her tongue when the witch made her numerous quips, but she had to ignore the looks she was casting in Harry's direction.

By the time dessert was being brought out, she was grateful to have something new to concentrate on. Underneath the table she felt Harry squeeze her thigh as he continued on with his conversation with Ron about his latest Quidditch match but despite the brief moment of comfort, she had never felt so alone. She was mentally counting down the minutes until she and Harry could leave.

"Ginny and I made your favourite dear. Trifle." Molly called out from her seat.

"You spoil me." Harry said as he smiled back at her.

"Actually it was Ginny's idea to cook all your favourite foods you know." Molly said with a fond smile at her only daughter.

Pansy watched Harry turn his head to Ginny and give her a tight smile.

"Do you like Trifle Miss Parkinson?" Molly queried.

Pansy didn't. "I'm sure it will be lovely." She said instead of outright lying.

Molly gave her a semi-sour look as she realised that Pansy had evaded the question.

"Ginny cooked the trifle herself. No input from me at all. Do you cook?"

Pansy sighed internally. "Not very well I'm afraid." She said before taking a breath and seeing the pre-emptive triumphant look Molly and Ginny shared. "But Harry's teaching me."

That caught everyone's attention. From beside her she heard Hermione let out a snigger and Pansy felt another bond form between her and the clever witch. Hiding her smile behind her spoon, Pansy took a bite of trifle. The custard hit her tongue and she had to supress her shudder of revulsion.

"Harry's…" Molly began before her voice teetered out.

Pansy swallowed. "Teaching me to cook." She repeated in a deliberately loud voice. She heard Hermione snigger again but the witch quickly took a choked sip of water when Ginny turned her way.

"So is that what you'd been doing the other day then?" Ginny commented lightly. "You know- when I came over to see you late that night."

The witch's words held obvious innuendo and Pansy froze at the same time Harry did. As the words spilled over the table, Pansy wanted to turn to Harry and demand instant answers, the first one being on why he'd hidden Ginny's _late-night_ visit from her. But she couldn't very well do that here in front of everyone.

She wanted to leave…now. Except she couldn't…and everything was being made worse by the fact Harry seemed to have been stupefied stiff beside her. Ginny's eyes gleamed and Pansy wanted to gouge them out.

Harry finally snapped out of his reverie. "No actually, when you popped over to let me know you and Charlie where back from Romania, Pansy and I had just finished eating dinner."

Pansy breathed out. Harry's answer had told her just when this late-night encounter had occured and she tried to push away the pain on how much time had passed and yet he'd chosen to hide this from her. His use of the word "popped" indicated that the visit had been short and that the main purpose had been to inform Harry of their return.

But there was still something else that was allowing Ginny to keep that smug expression on her face.

The whole table had gone silent and Pansy wanted to leave so badly. The rose coloured glasses seemed to be falling at a rapid rate from in front of her eyes and she didn't like it. Harry may have assured her that his past with Ginny was firmly in the past but it evidently wasn't and Pansy was realising just how much of a dream she had been living in.

Yes, she had been aware and worried about the problems any relationship between the two of them would face but the reality was so much worse. Ex-girlfriends, ex-fiancée's, family problems, work problems, pesky newspaper reporters. New problems seemed to be appearing every single day.

She liked Harry. A lot. But was it all worth it? And how much would they lose…how much would _he_ lose…if their relationship progressed. Pansy may not think highly of the Weasley's but Harry counted them as his family and she didn't want to be the reason they became estranged. He would only grow to resent her for it later and she'd dealt with enough resentment to last her a lifetime.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 20:34, Cucina, Diagon Alley_

From in front of him, Draco watched as Blaise took a large sip of wine and savoured the taste before swallowing smoothly. Both wizards were now finishing off their dinner and surprisingly enough, the conversation hadn't been as strained as he had imagined it would be.

Any topics referring to his father or Blaise's Ravenclaw had been mutually considered off limits and though they had spent the majority of the dinner discussing Draco's business plans, time had passed easily. Draco had actually enjoyed discussing his plans with another businessman without the fear that the information would somehow make its way back to Lucius. Blaise had made some valid points on how to improve things and they were actually worth looking into and he planned to do so that very evening.

"So you've been spending quite a bit of time with Hermione I hear?" Blaise commented as he looked at him intently over his wineglass.

Draco merely lifted an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement until Blaise revealed his cards further. "Oh?"

"Well you were there the last time Mione looked after Benji. Thank you for the broom by the way. Benji refused to let it go when I tried to give him his bath."

Draco nodded his head at the thanks. "I suppose we have been spending some time together recently." He hedged.

Now it was Blaise's turn to lift his eyebrows. "Last we talked you were mooning after that Rouge witch."

Draco snorted at Blaise's words. "Malfoy's don't moon over any witch. And things didn't work out with her."

Blaise studied him for a moment before speaking. "I'm sorry." He said.

Draco shrugged off his words. Once he would have smirked upon hearing the sympathy since the whole thing was a lie but now he felt oddly uncomfortable.

"Although… I'm not surprised about you and Hermione. I believe I've told you about my suspicions on the subject before."

Draco distinctly remembered the panic he'd felt when Blaise, Hermione and he had met up in Cucina in order to discuss how he could get Jennifer to date him.

Draco decided it would be best if he kept his mouth shut. He wasn't yet sure on how to go about getting Granger to date him and his plan of waiting for every time she looked after Teddy was dependent on how often his mother could meet up with Andromeda. Now that Draco had left the Manor and wasn't available to offer Lucius excuses on where Narcissa had gone, it would be much harder for the two sisters to arrange visits. He had a nasty feeling that he was going to have to ask Granger for a date outright but he couldn't move too quickly since he only had one go at it.

"So you're serious about her then? I can't imagine you would be willing to consider dating a Muggle-born unless you were serious."

"It's early days but yes, I enjoy the time I spend with her." Draco replied.

Blaise studied him further before taking another sip of wine and draining his glass. Draco quickly followed suit. He watched Blaise wave his hand and a waitress immediately appeared at the table.

"I hope your meal was satisfactory sir." She said, directing her words more to Blaise than Draco.

Blaise smiled at her and offered a reply before the witch waved her wand and their dirty plates cleared away into the kitchen of their own accord.

As Draco made to reach into the pockets of his robes to remove his money bag, Blaise dismissed him.

"Dinner is on the house." He said as he stood.

Draco nodded and quickly dropped his Galleons back into his pocket.

"Since we're both staying at the House Hotel for now, I expect we'll be seeing more of each other. We can have a drink sometime." Blaise offered as he extended his hand.

"Of course. Thank you for dinner." Draco said as he shook his hand.

"No problem. I'll see you around."

Draco nodded before saying goodbye and heading back out onto the street so he could apparate back to his hotel room. The despondency he'd been feeling when he'd entered the restaurant had lightened somewhat but the thought of going back to his hotel room…well there was no choice and hopefully when he began looking over the suggestions Blaise had made it would take his mind off how solitary his life was looking now.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 20:45, 3 St John's Wood, London_

Padma stared at the note in her hand in disbelief. That was it! A few short lines asking about Benji along with a present to give him if Padma had said Blaise's absence was due to one of his trips in which he usually sent Benji a gift to stop the little boy missing his Daddy too much.

And then a few words where he hoped she was well! _He hoped she was well!_ Merlin- that was all! She'd thought that he would have said more. She'd thought that he would have Owled her in order to let her know when they could meet up and talk. She had thought that maybe he would be coming over tonight.

But all he was promising her was another Owl tomorrow and now that she knew what Blaise's Owl's entailed, she was no longer so eager to hear his responses anymore.

Swallowing tightly, she crept into Benji's room and put the new toy on his toy box. Looking down at her baby, Padma slowly allowed the truth to sink in and she made her way back to her bedroom despondently.

Tomorrow she was going to take the day off. She was going to make an appointment with her Healer in the morning and then she was going to look around for a suitable flat in the afternoon. And then in the evening, she was going to eat dinner with Benji and wait for Blaise's letter. And depending on what it said, she would swallow any pain she felt and she would be ready to move on and give Blaise back the life he'd had before he met her.

They couldn't continue living in this limbo world.

She had a plan. At least she had a plan this time. She would be fine. Despite what might happen, she was still going to have another baby which meant she needed to be fine.

And she would be.

ooo

_22/07/2010, 20:44, The Burrow, Devon_

Pansy breathed in a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the Burrow. The last twenty or so minutes had been the most awkward of her life. After Ginny's proclamation and Harry's answer, it had been quite evident that he hadn't told Pansy about his ex-girlfriend's visit. This meant that Pansy hadn't been able to pretend that she had known all along in a bid to wipe the arrogant look of Ginny's face.

From behind her she heard Harry and Hermione receiving their hugs from Molly as they said their goodbyes. It was only when she heard the door close that she finally turned around.

Hermione was staring at Harry in anger, apparently Pansy wasn't the only one he'd hidden Ginny's visit from and the witch was staring at Harry with her mouth set in a mulish line.

"It was nothing, really." She heard Harry mutter to his best friend.

"Then why didn't you mention it?" Hermione retorted.

Pansy raised an eyebrow as her head moved from side to side as if she was watching a Quidditch match.

"There was nothing to say! Her visit lasted about two minutes and that's it!" Harry defended.

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

Pansy smiled. This was great; she was getting all her answers without having to ask any of the questions.

"Nothing happened. She came over to tell me that she and Charlie were back from Romania and then she left."

Hermione looked at him suspiciously. Pansy gave Harry her own look of suspicion. In response, Harry ruffled the back of his hair in a nervous gesture.

"Look can we talk about this somewhere else? Not that there's anything else to talk about." He added quickly.

Hermione looked at him stubbornly but eventually nodded. After giving Pansy a warm smile, she apparated away.

Harry turned to look at her. "Well...that didn't go too badly."

Pansy looked at him in astonishment. Had he just been at the same dinner party? After Ginny's outburst, all the conversation at the table seemed to have died away and nearly everyone present had busied themselves in eating their trifle. Harry had informed her that after dinner, the family usually sat in the living room for another hour of so just talking and letting the time pass by but it had been clear at the dining table that there would be no hovering once dinner was finished.

Harry stepped towards her and Pansy crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Why didn't you tell me that she'd come to see you? Why lie?"

"I didn't lie- it was not…really worth…mentioning."

"Why did she come over so late?"

"I don't know. She just wanted to see me."

"Does she want you back?" Pansy asked the question outright.

Harry's silent answer told her all she needed to know. When she saw a flash of movement in the net curtains behind Harry's head she froze.

"This isn't the right place to have this conversation." She stated woodenly.

Harry sighed before he nodded. "How about I apparate you home? We can talk there."

Pansy stiffened. She didn't want Harry to see where she was living. "It's fine. We can talk more tomorrow." She ended up saying.

Harry gave her look before he moved towards her tentatively. Pansy accepted his light kiss before she gave him one last smile and apparated back to her apartment. She sighed as she landed outside the Silver Serpent Bar.

Just being in this part of Diagon Alley had her internal alarm ringing.

Run Pansy. Run.

"Good evening _mon amour._"

Pansy gasped as she turned around. "Julian." She whispered.

* * *

**_IMPORTANT_**_ Author's Note: I know it's been an age and I know I promised to concentrate on Deceit since I completed Meus Contraho and I know I broke that by starting Meus Contraho Duo but please forgive me! I actually have some important news that was brought to my attention by a reader of Meus Contraho which I wanted to share with you all. _

_There are a group of people reporting M rated stories that contain any hint of a lemon resulting in these stories being deleted from this site without any prior notice being given to the author. This will and probably already has led to many authors abandoning this site in order to upload their stories elsewhere. I have to say that if this continues to occur, I will probably be following them. I began uploading my stories on this fanfiction site from a previous one due to many reasons but the main being that what I wrote wasn't censored and I wasn't made to alter my updates to fit a strict set of rules that banned scenes of a sexual nature. _

_In my opinion, labelling a story as M i.e. Mature means that the reader should assume that the content contains mature themes and they should make a personal decision if they wish to continue to read on or not. After all, is it not widely presumed across readers on this site that M stories may contain sexual scenes/violence/language etc.? The site is suggesting that these stories should be removed and authors should upload such stories onto other sites. However a much easier and inconvenient alternative would be for the site to introduce a MA rating along with an age filter._

_As most of you probably know, most of my stories are M rated and both of my Meus collections are M rated despite containing oneshots of a softer rating within them. I would hate to see them or Deceit deleted from the site and so am asking you to sign a petition whose link is below in order to stop this. _

_Thank you for reading and until next time, Curiositykils._

___www**.**ipetitions**.**com**(slash)**petition**(slash)**lemons-for-fanfiction**(slash)**?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send%2Bto%2BFriend_


	23. Chapter 23

**_"My Mama always said you've got to put the past behind you before you can move on." Forrest Gump (1994)_**

_22/07/2010, 20:48, Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Pansy couldn't believe her eyes. She blinked once but when her eyes reopened, Julian still stood in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a breathless whisper.

Julian smiled slightly as he looked down on her. It was strange how both Julian and Harry were of a similar height but she'd always felt intimidated by Julian and protected by Harry.

"Shouldn't that be my question, fiancée mine?" he answered.

Pansy gulped. "I'm not your fiancée anymore."

Julian raised a black eyebrow and gave her an arrogant look before his eyes swept over the area. "Pack your bags Pansy, I'm taking you home."

"_This_ is my home. I'm not going anywhere with you."

Julian scoffed. "Look around sweetheart. No-one makes their home here if they can help it. Now pack your bags, I've amused you enough."

"No!"

"No?" Julian repeated slowly…dangerously.

Pansy took a step away from him as she quickly glanced around the area and reassured herself that there were other people present and she wasn't alone. When she looked back at Julian, his look of amused indulgence had disappeared.

"Julian, I'm sorry…but I can't marry you. I…left a note."

"I received your note, fiancée mine. And I placed it in the garbage where it belonged. Our engagement was announced to the French Wizarding Community- it appeared in the French Horn for Merlin's sake. You _will_ marry me."

"No- I can't!"

"You can't?" Julian said again in that slow voice of his.

"I won't." Pansy corrected.

"…You won't?"

Julian's voice was hard enough to cut rock and Pansy stepped back further. She cursed the fact that she'd needed bread and hadn't apparated directly into her flat.

"I won't." she repeated again firmly, keeping a close eye on Julian's expression. His face was a mask of coolness but his dark eyes glinted angrily.

"Let me remind you of the position you are in, fiancée mine. Without me, you stand no chance of improving your position in the Wizarding Community. Without a suitable dowry you won't get a wizard of worth to get within a broomstick of you."

Pansy swallowed the lump in her throat and summoned every ounce of courage she had as she tilted her head back and stuck her chin out. "I don't need a wizard of worth to look after me. I can look after myself." Her words sounded weak even to her.

Julian smiled coldly. He made a point of staring at the bar before looking around the area. "I see. You seem to be doing such a fine job of it so far." He said disparagingly.

Pansy took in a deep breath. "I have a job and I'm saving up to buy my own home." She retorted.

"With your salary you'll be saving for a long time."

Pansy reeled. "You know- How do you know how much I'm earning?" she asked.

Julian smiled again. "The people I hired to find you might not have been fast but they were certainly thorough. The Auror Department, Pansy?"

Pansy refused to answer his rhetorical question. "Please leave."

"Leave? I don't think you understand what I just told you."

"I do understand. And I told you- I don't need you. I don't care about improving my _position_ in the Wizarding Community!"

"Last time we had this conversation both you and your mother were in a desperate situation. You might be happy living in such penury but what about your mother?"

"M-My mother will be happy living with my Uncle."

"Ahh. But just how happy is your Uncle living with your mother?"

Pansy looked up at him. "What do you mean?" she demanded.

Julian smirked. "You didn't think your Uncle was going to carry on living with your mother when there's nothing in it for him, did you?"

The breath whooshed out of Pansy's chest and her mouth suddenly felt parched of any moisture. She swallowed tightly and ran her tongue over her teeth before she found herself being able to speak again.

"But they're family."

"And you were your Uncle's niece." Julian pointed out.

Pansy shook her head- he didn't understand. When she and her mother had been living in her Uncle's Chateau, Pansy had known that they couldn't continue living there forever. Her Uncle hadn't liked having houseguests, especially Pansy. It hadn't mattered how hard she'd listened to her mother's instructions and acted in an appropriate manner, the stigma of living with her and her mother wasn't something her Uncle was willing to put up with for much longer.

But surely know that she had left? Pansy had thought her Uncle wouldn't have minded having his only sister living with him when she, the "baggage" had left.

"My Mother- he wouldn't-"

"Wouldn't he?"

Pansy looked at Julian numbly.

"You didn't think I was the only who you humiliated did you? Your Uncle was very loud about the fact _he_ had brokered our engagement- _very_ loud. And with your little disappearance act, he had to face those very people he was loud to and accept their condescending looks. Now tell me again _mon amour_, do you think your Uncle has any reason to continue allowing your mother to live with him?"

Pansy could only stare at Julian's mouth as he spoke. The alarm in her head was beginning to clang away again only this time it wasn't telling her to run. It was simply ringing in panic.

When she realised Julian's mouth was moving again, she forced herself to subdue the alarm and listen to his words.

"-pre wedding jitters- that's all. And all can go back to how it was. I won't be a cruel husband Pansy. You'll have more Galleons at your disposal than you'll know what to do with. And after our son has been born, I won't care if you decide to look elsewhere for your needs, as long as you do so discreetly."

Pansy swallowed at his words. He was repeating things that he had told her once before. Things that she had once been semi-grateful for. Unlimited funds at her disposal- it had meant that for once her mother and she wouldn't have to worry about wearing out their robes and hoping their paste jewels would go unnoticed as such.

No! She couldn't! She could send money to her mother- it wouldn't be much but it would be something at least. And if all else failed, her mother could come back to England and live with her here.

Even thinking the idea had Pansy shuddering at the thought of living under such scrutiny again. Her mother was set in her old ways, ways in which Pansy had also once been stuck in. Except she had managed to adapt and survive. She knew her mother wouldn't be able to do the same.

But she couldn't just sit idly by whilst her mother was possibly kicked out by her Uncle. Pansy hadn't told her where she was living. Her mother wouldn't have anywhere else to go.

Which meant Pansy had to go and see her.

"Pack your bags fiancée mine. We leave for France tonight."

ooo

_23/07/2010, 10:07, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

As soon as the morning meeting was over, Harry quickly followed Kingsley as the older man headed towards his office. Harry swept his eyes over the department floor for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning and the unnerving feeling in his stomach didn't abate as it would have had he seen Pansy's dark hair.

When he reached Kingsley's office, he saw Auror Williams slip into it a few steps ahead of him and close the door. Harry breathed out in annoyance at being forced to wait. Hoping Williams's meeting with Kingsley wouldn't last too long, he waited outside the office impatiently.

Ten minutes later and he breathed out as the door opened and Williams exited. Giving his colleague a stiff smile, Harry waited until the man had walked away before he turned back to Kingsley's office door and knocked once.

"Come in." he heard from behind the closed door and Harry quickly entered.

Kingsley raised a regal eyebrow at Harry's hurried entrance but said nothing. Indicating with his eyes for Harry to take a seat in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk, Harry ignored him and asked the question that had been waiting to burst from his lips for a while know.

"Where's Pansy?"

Kingsley's eyebrow rose further upwards. "Pardon me?"

Harry forced himself to take in a deep breath and calm down. "Sorry," he apologised without really meaning it, "Have you seen Pansy this morning?" he asked again more politely.

A small frown appeared on Kingsley's face but he answered Harry's question. "Miss Parkinson is on annual leave today."

This time it was Harry's time to frown. "Annual leave? She didn't mention anything yesterday?"

There was a moment of silence before Kingsley spoke again. "Is that all Auror Potter?"

Harry jerked out of his reverie. Questions were running through his mind about whether Pansy's day off had anything to do with dinner yesterday night. Damn- he really needed to speak to her. He should have taken her home yesterday so they could have spoken then like he'd planned.

"Can you give me her home address?" he asked Kingsley.

He was rewarded with an icy look. "You know that I cannot give out confidential details about employees. I'd have thought you would know better than to ask."

Harry did know that but he wasn't about to give up yet. Corresponding by Owl would take too long and he wasn't even sure if Pansy was joined to the Floo network. "I know you can't but this is me and Pansy. We're…seeing each other."

"Then shouldn't you already know where Miss Parkinson is residing?"

Red colour burned at Harry's cheeks at the realisation that he _should_ know where Pansy lived by now.

"I'm sorry Harry…but I'm afraid that I cannot give you her address."

Harry sighed and nodded dejectedly. "Do you know if she's joined to the Floo network?"

"Last we spoke she mentioned joining the Network in passing but I'm afraid I am unaware if she did so."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed at Kingsley's words. He had asked the question because he had thought the answer would be in Pansy's personnel file. What were Kingsley and Pansy talking where the conversation veered off the topic of work?

"I'm sorry that I am unable to help you. Hopefully you can wait to see her until she returns to work."

Harry wasn't happy with the suggestion and made a note to send her an Owl ASAP. To Kingsley he said differently. "I suppose I'll have to wait until Monday."

Harry zeroed in on the hesitant look on Kingsley's face and pounced. "She _is_ returning on Monday isn't she?"

Kingsley sighed as he masked his face of any emotions. "I'm sorry Harry. When I talked to Pansy this morning she seemed…agitated."

The tightness in Harry's stomach increased tenfold. "Agitated?" He repeated.

"I'm unaware as to the reason why- she refused to tell me. But she seemed in a hurry if the way she packing a small case was any indication."

Harry stepped forward, a hand slapping down on Kingsley's desk. "Packing? What are you talking about?"

Kingsley kept a cool façade under Harry's attention. "Be aware Harry that I only tell you this because I am worried about Pansy."

Once again, the closeness of Kingsley's and Pansy's relationship whipped through Harry's head. He pushed the question away- there were more important things to discuss.

"Where was she going?"

Kingsley sighed. "I am unsure however I do have an idea. She refused to tell me after ascertaining that I would allow her to take a few days off. She did however indicate that she hoped to be back soon."

Harry's chest actually pained as he breathed out silently in relief. But just what he should do now left him in a quandary. He needed to speak to Hermione.

ooo

_23/07/2010, 10:33, Healer Jepson's Clinic, 4 Hastings Road, London_

Padma looked at her stomach in wonder as Healer Jepson cast the spell to see how far along she was. As the image formed over her stomach, allowing the both of them to see her baby for the first time, tears entered Padma's eyes and she rubbed at her still flat stomach reverently.

"Well now let's see," Healer Jepson said as he studied the image with a critical eye. "Things seem to be progressing nicely. You aren't very far along. Around 4 weeks I would say."

The Healer continued talking as Padma drowned out his voice and tried to cast her mind back. All that she could come up with was the night of her and Blaise's dinner party. Had that been the night when they'd conceived this child? She tried to remember if she or Blaise had remembered to cast the Contraception Charm on her after they'd finished making love but all she could remember was falling asleep contently in his arms.

"Do you wish to know what you're having?"

Padma gasped in painfully as she turned her head up further so she could look at Healer Jepson. "You can tell already?" she asked.

When she had been pregnant with Benji, everything had been so crazy with the war and her parents and finding a place to live, that she had been months into her pregnancy before she'd even noticed she was pregnant let alone got around to seeing a Healer. The first time she had seen Benji he had already been over four months.

Healer Jepson nodded his head. "It's a new spell that's just been trialled and licensed for use. Before we had to rely on waiting to see the baby develop a little further before we could see if the foetus was a boy or girl, similar to the Muggle world, but this new spell can detect the sex when the foetus is only a few days old."

For the first time since Padma had discovered she was pregnant, her fear and worries were momentarily replaced by excitement. Curling her hands into tight fists, she nodded her head and watched eagerly as Healer Jepson performed the appropriate spell.

Her stomach began to glow and then after a few seconds, the white light shifted colour. Gasping at the colour as tears caught in her throat, she looked up at Healer Jepson. He nodded at her unspoken question and Padma let out a water-logged gurgle of laughter.

"Congratulations." Healer Jepson said warmly.

Padma could only nod, not trusting herself to speak yet. Happy tears coursed down her face and she took the tissue Healer Jepson handed to her.

"I'll let you have a few moments." He said before he stepped out.

Padma swallowed tightly as she leaned back and ran her hands over her belly, her eyes refusing to look away from the image of her sleeping daughter.

Blaise should be here with her, she thought longingly. She should have been sharing this with him. He should have been here.

ooo

_23/07/2010, 17:55, 3 St James Wood, London_

"Aunty MG!" Benji squealed as he launched off the floor where he had been playing something with Padma and hugged her around the legs tightly.

Hermione smiled as she lifted him up for a proper hug. From behind his back, she ran worried eyes over Padma but the Indian witch smiled at her and revealed nothing as to why she had invited Hermione over.

When she felt Benji wriggling in her hands, she placed him back down on the floor and listened to his happy jabbering about his and Padma's game. In his excitement, he stepped onto the board game and all the pieces slid from their place and onto the carpet. As Hermione settled herself on the sofa next to Padma, she reassured Benji with a smile that she believed him when he said that he had been winning.

Padma settled Benji into an activity that would keep him busy for a while before she motioned for Hermione to join her in the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked hesitantly as she watched Padma make them both cups of tea.

"Better. I'm not feeling as queasy today." Padma replied.

"Did you visit the Healer?"

Padma nodded. "It's nothing life-threatening." She said jokingly and Hermione sighed in relief.

She hesitated before asking her next question. "How did things with you and Blaise go last night?"

She watched Padma tense for a moment before the witch walked over to the table and sat down stiffly in her chair. "When Blaise said he was going to be Owling me I thought he'd meant that he would letting me know when we could talk- I'm so stupid." Padma finished with a wry smile.

"I take it things didn't go as you'd hoped." Hermione said as she squeezed Padma's hand.

The kettle let off a loud whistle and Padma slipped her hand out from under hers and moved to assemble their teas. She kept her back firmly to Hermione as she spoke.

"He was just checking in to see how Benji was. He sent him a present."

Hermione bit her lip and she watched Padma stir sugar into the mugs vigorously.

"He said he would send another note tonight."

"…Oh- well that's a good thing isn't it?"

Padma turned and returned to her seats with their mugs. "Hmm. I'm sure Benji will like his new present."

Hermione held her breath at the sudden bitterness in Padma's tone. "Don't give up." was the only thing she could think of saying.

Padma looked up from her mug. "How can't I? It's been four days since he left and the only time I've actually seen him is when he came to get his clothes. How are we supposed to talk things out if he can't even look at me? I think he's given up already…"

Padma's words rung in the silent kitchen.

"Maybe-"

Padma shook her head before Hermione could speak further. "No- don't." she said before she smiled brightly, "and anyway, I didn't invite you over to talk about my mess. Distract me…please!"

Hermione laughed. She didn't have to think very hard about what she was going to say to get Padma's mind off her problems. "Draco Malfoy asked me out on a date today."

This time it was her bombshell that rang around the silent question.

ooo

_23/07/2010, 17:58, __Parkinson Chateau, South of France_

"What do you mean you aren't staying?"

"Mother please…"

"You stupid _stupid_ girl! Do you know how much I've done for you all your life? I ask you to do this one thing for me…to repay me for years of kindness so I can stop suffering…and you dare to tell me no!"

"I won't marry him! I don't love him- I was stupid to even consider it!"

"Love! _Love!_ No-one loves the one they marry Pansy! How many times have I told you this? How many times have you seen it?"

"It doesn't have to be like that!"

"Yes it does! You stupid girl! This is our life Pansy. We don't have anything else! You have to marry Julian!"

"No!" Pansy wrenched herself out of her mother's hands. "There is another option!"

Her mother's face twisted. "Julian told me that you're working at the Ministry. In the Auror office- Pansy for Merlin's sake- how can you show your face to those people!"

"It's a job- one that pays. Mother- don't you want to have your own money…don't you want to be responsible for your own security!"

"Julian is offering us all of that! And we won't need to spend the rest of our lives working for pittance to get it!"

"You would rather your only daughter marry a wizard she doesn't love than spend your life working?"

"Yes!"

Pansy reeled back in shock. Her mother's face also showed shock before it morphed into sympathy.

"Pansy…you are my only daughter…I love you, I know what's best for you."

Pansy shook her head as realisation flooded over her. There was nothing that she could say that was going to change her mother's mind.

"I can't mother…I'm sorry. Please don't ask this of me because I can't do it."

"Why?"

"Because!" Pansy replied back, her own anger causing her voice to rise loudly.

"Because you don't love him!" her mother scoffed.

Pansy snapped. "Because I love someone else!"

The words rang in between them. As Pansy heard back what she'd just said she wanted to snatch the words back.

"Pardon me?"

Pansy shook her head but realised that there was no use. "I think I'm in love with someone else."

"…You think?"

"I-I don't know. Mother- he's so kind. And he likes me- and not just what I look like or who I am- but he likes talking to me."

"Have you spread your legs for him yet?" her mother asked caustically.

Pansy jerked back as if she'd been slapped. Tears washed over her eyes and Pansy dug her fingernails into her palm in an effort to keep them from falling.

"I'm going back home Mother." She said thickly as she outstretched a piece of parchment with her address on it. "If you change your mind you know where to find me. Until then- I'm sorry. But please leave me alone."

The words took everything in her body to be spoken out loud. As she walked away from her mother, Pansy felt a light relieving feeling lift in her chest. She allowed the feeling to spread and warm the rest of her body and a small smile began lifting at the corner of her lips.

"Who is he?"

Pansy froze at her mother's question. She breathed in deeply. "I won't tell you that." She said without turning before she continued in her gait.

"You have nothing to give him Pansy! Your past…Your father's past… it will always follow you into the future. Remember that!"

The words entered Pansy's head and they refused to budge, no matter how much distance she put between her and her mother.

The alarm was ringing yet again.

ooo

_23/07/2010, 17:55, 3 St James Wood, London_

"I can't believe you think this is a good idea!" Hermione gasped as she clenched her cooling tea tightly between her clasped hands.

Padma gave her a smile as she shook her head. "You were the one telling me that you wanted me to set you up with someone!"

"Yes- someone. Not _Draco Malfoy!_"

"Why not him?"

"Are you actually being serious here?"

Padma rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Mione. What's wrong with Draco? He seemed perfectly nice when he came over for dinner. And he's good with kids. You said so yourself that he's great with Teddy."

"That's different."

"What? Why?"

Hermione grumbled for a moment as she tried to think up an answer before floundering and letting out an "It just is!"

"Go through your list and tick him off."

"What?"

"Your list!" Padma stressed. "The one you gave me of what you're looking for in a wizard."

Hermione tilted her chin up stubbornly and refused to speak.

Padma laughed at the expression. "Fine. I'll do it for you. He's good looking."

Hermione scoffed. "And he knows it too. Don't you remember what he was like at school?"

"Mione, you can't treat the man the same as the boy. He's grown up since Hogwarts. We all have."

"He's still as arrogant as ever."

"How do you know that?" Padma asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Just the way he speaks sometimes. And the way he acts. He's still as arrogant as he was in Hogwarts- he's just got better at hiding it."

"It might not be arrogance. It could just be confidence."

Hermione pondered over the thought.

"Okay second on the list. He must be successful in his job. Malfoy's set up his own business. I think we can cross that off the list."

Hermione nodded. "He's intelligent." She admitted grudgingly.

"He likes kids. He's polite-"

"That wasn't on the list." Hermione injected.

Padma frowned. "Yes it was…wasn't it?"

"No- though it should have been. I wanted a wizard who was nice."

"And Malfoy isn't?"

It was time for Hermione to ponder again. "He…comes across nice…I guess." Hermione spoke the truth because Draco _had_ been perfectly nice…Merlin she had expected cries of disgust when she'd taken him to Luigi's for lunch but he hadn't said anything…but there was still something about him.

"Which means he is. Okay moving on- what else was there?"

"He needed to make me laugh- hah- Draco's never made me laugh. See I knew this was a bad idea."

"Oh come on Mione. He probably just doesn't feel comfortable enough around you yet. It's a Slytherin thing." Padma's smile drooped slightly making it was evident she was thinking about her own Slytherin. And then she shook her head. "I'm sure he'll be able to make you laugh later on. And anyway, that's just two things he's not compared to how many he is."

"I don't know- it's Draco Malfoy." Hermione hedged.

"And?"

"And it's weird!"

Padma gave her an unimpressed look at her ineloquent reply. "It's weird."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. It just feels wrong somehow."

"If you're talking about those stupid prejudices from Hogwarts-"

"I'm not. Well not entirely anyway. I don't know what it is. Something just doesn't feel quite right when we're together."

"Maybe it's the fact that he's wanted to ask you out?"

Hermione shrugged slowly in silence.

Padma stood from her chair and took her empty glass over to the sink. Hermione waved her wand over her own mug and took a sip of the now hot liquid. The comforting taste soothed her.

"Look, obviously I don't want to push you into doing something you're not comfortable with but I really think you should give Malfoy a chance. It's one date and who knows what might happen. And if nothing does then you can't say you that didn't give it a chance."

Padma returned to the table with two thick slabs of chocolate cake. Hermione put her mug down and dug into her piece eagerly.

"What did his note say anyway?" Padma queried as she nibbled at her own piece.

Hermione handed it over and Padma had just lowered her eyes to read it when they heard Benji's excited cry from the sitting room.

Hermione watched Padma freeze at Benji's continued cries of "Daddy!" before she took in a shaky breath and jumped up from her chair. Hermione quickly followed her as Padma ran to the front room before coming to an abrupt halt at the doorway.

Hermione peered around her friend's body and her heart warmed at the sight of Benji tightly hugging Blaise around the neck. Blaise's back was to the door she and Padma were standing at but when Padma breathed out Blaise's name, he stiffened before turning around.

He didn't let Benji go but his eyes swept over Padma before they flicked over to Hermione. She gave him a wan smile as she internally debated whether Padma needed her presence for moral support or if she should retreat back into the kitchen or even go home.

"Hermione. How are you?"

Hermione startled as Blaise turned to acknowledge her, his gaze now fixated solely on her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched Padma's shoulders drop slightly and something in her stomach rolled uneasily.

"Hello Blaise- I'm good thank you…and you?" she replied after a silent moment.

Blaise nodded at her question before he flicked his eyes back to Padma. Hermione bit her lip as the silence stretched out further.

"Benji- how about you and I go and grab some chocolate cake in the kitchen whilst your Mummy and Daddy talk?" she finally cajoled.

The normally exuberant little boy tightened his hold around Blaise's neck and dug his head into Blaise's shoulder as he shook his head in rejection at the idea.

Blaise hugged the boy tightly once more before he lowered him onto the floor. When Benji made to clasp onto his legs, he ran his fingers through Benji's hair soothingly. "Go on little man, I'll see you be I leave."

A cloud of tension swept over the room at Blaise's possibly inadvertently spoken words that didn't go unnoticed by all three adults in the room. Hermione couldn't take the painful longing look on Padma's face anymore and as she held out a hand which Benji latched onto, she gave her friend a supportive squeeze on the shoulder as she walked back into the kitchen.

Whilst Hermione had most of the facts regarding the situation between Padma and Blaise, she still hadn't fully believed the fact that they were living apart and that the situation was so serious. In the five years that Hermione had been friends with them both, she hadn't once seen them argue and the closeness they had in their relationship was one she had always been jealous of. But being with them just now, it seemed as if that closeness they'd once shared had completely been replaced by cold distance.

Tightening her hold on Benji's small hand, she closed the door to the kitchen so they wouldn't be able to hear any conversation. As she settled Benji in a chair, she hoped that Blaise and Padma would manage to get through this. The fate of their once perfect little family depended upon it.

ooo

_23/07/2010, 18:03, 3 St James Wood, London_

Blaise heard the kitchen door click shut and it was only then that he glanced back at Padma. He hadn't meant to reveal the fact that he had only come to pick up a book-keeping file for Cucina and possibly some more clothes in front of Hermione but the words had just slipped out.

"You're not staying." Padma stated in a quiet wooden tone.

She had her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach and she didn't look like she'd slept for days. Blaise imagined he looked the same. When Padma stepped further into the room, he caught sight of the piece of parchment in her hand and immediately froze.

With narrowed eyes, he turned to look at her face. "I see you're still in contact with Goldstein." He said in an icy tone.

He watched as Padma looked down numbly at her hand before she startled and looked back up to face him.

"No!" she exclaimed as she stepped further forward. Her hand shook and the note crumpled into the palm of her hand.

Blaise gritted his teeth. So she didn't want him to see what Goldstein had written to her then? Well then fine. Apparently she had made her choice in the time he had been gone-

"It's not mine. It's Hermione's. It's from Malfoy asking her out on a date."

Blaise froze at the explanation, his mind now registering how quickly he had gone off and assumed the worst without knowing all the facts. "So he finally got the balls to do it then?" he said out loud, mostly to himself.

"What?" Padma asked softly, a lost look appearing on her face.

Blaise straightened. "Draco's staying at the same hotel I am. We had dinner and he mentioned that he was going to ask Hermione out. He seemed serious about her if that makes a difference to her." He commented.

He saw Padma nod but had a feeling his words were passing over her head.

"I came to get the book-keeping file for Cucina and a change of clothes." He told her.

He had to catch himself from hugging her tightly when her face crumpled in front of him. His reaction to her simply holding a piece of parchment told him that he hadn't sorted things through in his head yet.

"So you're not staying?" she whispered.

Blaise swallowed the lump in his throat and gave a short shake of his head. He saw Padma struggle to gather herself and once again had to stop himself from moving over to hold her. He looked away instead and when he glanced back a few seconds later, she seemed to be nodding her head at his decision. She twisted in the doorway, motioning for him to pass and he did so, breathing in a lungful of air as he walked past her so he could take in her scent.

Unlike last time, she didn't follow him up the stairs. Blaise gathered what he needed quickly, shrinking the items and stuffing them into his pocket before going back downstairs. Peeking through the gap of the sitting room door, he saw Padma huddled on the sofa waiting for his return.

Instead of going to her, Blaise walked into the kitchen. Hermione straightened from Benji's side when he entered and he gave her a smile before he walked over to his son.

Crouching down next to him, Blaise spoke quietly, "Hey little man. Dad…Daddy has to go back to work now."

Benji turned to face him fully, his arms coming back up to wrap around his neck. Blaise hugged him tightly, rubbing a warm hand up and down the boy's back soothingly as he composed himself. He didn't want Benji to guess anything was wrong.

"How long?" Benji demanded as he leaned back.

Looking into Benji's eyes…Padma's eyes…Blaise struggled to answer. "Not too long. I'll see you soon, I promise." He partially lied.

His answer appeased Benji somewhat as with one last look and a wet kiss on the cheek, he turned back to his chocolate cake. Blaise stood and turned to face Hermione. She was watching him with a scrutinising look on her face but he didn't want to answer any of her potential questions. Instead, he turned the topic back on her.

"I had dinner with Draco and he mentioned he planned to ask you out for dinner."

He watched Hermione freeze at the comment and he continued. "Like I told Padma, for whatever it's worth, he seemed serious about it."

Leaving a shocked Hermione behind him, he bent to kiss Benji one last time on his head before he bolstered himself and returned to the sitting room.

Padma looked up when he stepped in and he hesitated as to what to do or say. "I have the things I needed." He eventually said.

Padma's head started bobbing up and down again and she turned her head to face the wall ahead instead of him. Still not knowing what to do, Blaise walked over to the Floo. Throwing a handful of Floo Powder into the fire, he watched it turn green and he swallowed, getting ready to leave.

"I'll Owl you tomorrow. Maybe arrange a time when I can come and see Benji?" He asked, not wanting to leave without saying anything.

Padma was nodding her head again before she turned to face him. This time the tears in her eyes hit him directly in the chest.

"A-Are you ever…you're not…forgive me?" She mumbled out.

Blaise got the gist of her question and his chest ached but he knew he had to answer her truthfully. "I don't know, Padma…I still need time."

Once again nodding at his answer, she gave him a wobbly smile. "Okay…okay." She whispered.

Blaise took one last look before he stepped into the flames and was whisked away.

ooo

_23/07/2010, 18:23, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

Hermione stepped out of her work clothes and walked into the bathroom where she turned on the shower. Crookshanks purred loudly as he twined himself around her ankles and Hermione petted him as the water warmed before she gently shooed him out of the bathroom.

Stepping under the relaxing spray, she tilted her face to the water and let it wash away the day's problems. She smiled as she remembered how earlier on in the day she'd wondered what she was going to do over the weekend…how she was going to spend her time relaxing since she had nothing planned.

And now tomorrow she was going to be looking after Benji in the morning whilst Padma carried out her ominous sounding "errands" and then she was going on a date with Draco in the evening.

Hermione had a feeling her weekend wasn't going to be so relaxing anymore.

ooo

_23/07/2010, 19:03, The House Hotel, London_

Draco sat in his hotel suite as he stared out of his window and listened to the Hungarian National Quidditch quarter-final playing on the radio. He didn't particularly care for Hungarian Quidditch unless they were in the final of the World Cup but he needed something to drown out the endless silence that had been ringing around the room and mocking him.

He'd tried going to the hotel bar, thinking that maybe Zabini would make an appearance for a drink, but after an hour of nursing a single tumbler of firewhiskey he'd given up and returned to his room.

He could have gone out…to a club…or to a bar. He could have found himself a suitable witch whose warmth he could have buried himself in for the night…but he hadn't.

But he _could_ have…and that was the main thing.

Taking another sip of firewhiskey, he absent-mindedly listened to the commentary as the Hungarian Seeker narrowly missed catching the Snitch.

He wondered what his mother was currently doing. He had sent her a note when he'd first settled into his suite but as of yet, he'd had no reply.

Sharpening his gaze to a faint object in the distance, he saw an Owl flying in the sky. Standing from the armchair, he walked over to the window and watched the Owl's flight path. As it headed closer to the hotel, Draco straightened and his hands clenched together in anticipation. When it was obvious that the Owl was heading for his window, Draco pulled it open, eagerly waiting for the letter it carried.

The Owl simply dropped the parchment into his hand and he ripped it open. Draco scanned his eyes over the short note and when he reached the bottom where the witch had signed off her name in an unusual flourish he wouldn't have thought such a no-nonsense woman such as her would have used, he smiled.

Folding the note back up again, he returned to his seat.

The silence no longer seemed so mocking anymore.

Maybe he would go back down to the bar and see if Zabini had made an appearance?

Turning the radio off, he did just that.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thank you for reading and thank you for those of you who took the time to sign the petition. Until next time, Curiositykils._


	24. Chapter 24

**_"You cannot prevent and prepare for war at the same time" Albert Einstein (1879-1955)_**

_24/07/2010, 13:17, 3 St James Wood, London_

Padma apparated back home and immediately shook her head violently. Her long, water-logged braid of hair flew from side to side, spraying water droplets in the air which landed on the wooden floor with soft splats. The sudden turn in weather seemed to match her mood and though it was comforting at times…something about the sunshine made her feel forced to put a smile on her face despite how miserable she was feeling inside…right now, she would have given anything for the rain to let up.

She had been apparating all over London this morning and the pouring rain made it a hundred times harder to look at flats or houses she could move into. It had only been a few hours since she'd been at it and already she was feeling on the verge of passing out in exhaustion.

Just like early on in her first pregnancy, the baby seemed to be zapping all her strength and all she could think about was tumbling into bed and sleeping…well, trying to get some sleep at least. Sleeping for more than a few hours seemed impossible over the last few days no matter how exhausted she was. And that was before she'd received a letter from Anthony's solicitor last night.

She had been grateful when the realtor she had been visiting prospective properties with had suggested lunch. Politely declining the witch's offer to join her at the new Italian restaurant off Diagon Alley, Padma had come up with an excuse and told her that she would meet up with her in an hour's time instead. Hopefully an hour out of the rain and some rest would be enough to get her body to stop drooping with every step she took.

Toeing off her shoes, she apparated up to her bedroom, shook off her soaked jacket and fell on the bed. Her head swam momentarily at the sudden collapse and Padma closed her eyes as she pushed the nausea threatening to rise, back down into her stomach.

Her crumpled hand unclenched and the sheaves of papers of the places she had visited this morning fell onto the duvet next to her body.

She hadn't been able to find anything. Out of what seemed like the dozens of places she had visited that gloomy morning, she hadn't been able to find one single home where she could imagine her, Benji and the baby living.

After every single door that she stepped through, she would wait on the front step for that sensation to hit her. That sense of home…and comfort…and warmth.

Only now, she had a nasty feeling that it wasn't the house that gave her that comfort and warmth but one of its inhabitants. And now that they weren't going to be living together, she would have to face up to the fact that no potential home she looked at would ever feel "right".

Recognising the misery beginning to overtake her, Padma closed her eyes once again and pressed her arm over her head to block out what little light was coming through the bedroom windows.

She just needed to get some rest and things would look better after that. This afternoon she would find a suitable house in a decent neighbourhood, close to a park so she would be able to walk with Benji to it and spend time with him. And then she would find a solicitor and show them the letter she had received and it would all work out fine.

The pessimism that had been hounding her over the last few days piped up.

It would all work out fine- and maybe blast ended skrewts would grow fur and become household pets.

ooo

_24/07/2010, 18:45, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

Hermione looked at her reflection critically in her bathroom mirror as she smoothed down the front of the dress she had chosen. She should have been worried about how utterly exhausted and depressed Padma had looked when she'd come to pick up Benji earlier on but unfortunately, her nerves over tonight's dinner had surpassed the worries she felt over her friend.

The concerns that she was feeling in the pit of her stomach weren't like the nerves she'd experienced before when she had met up with Draco. The usual butterflies of anxiousness had morphed into something else entirely now that she had been told by Blaise how serious Draco was about their date.

Draco Malfoy was serious about a date…with her! Her mind had no idea how to process the information.

Before she had been worried about awkward silences and coming up with safe conversation topics. Now that she knew from the few times they had met up, that passing time together was surprisingly not difficult, she was worried about how to act with Draco.

Should she treat him as a polite acquaintance? Something about doing that sat funny with her seeing how much time they'd spent together alone with only Teddy as a buffer between them. Should she treat him as a friend? That idea seemed to sit fine with her…oddly enough, friends was something she could find herself doing when it came to the wizard in question but then she would remember that this wasn't two friends meeting up for dinner.

It was a date. An actual date.

Not a thank you for any help she had given Draco or an ice-cream treat with Teddy. It was a _date_ date!

When she found herself beginning to panic, the rational side of her head ordered her to calm down… immediately. Merlin she was acting as if this was the first date she was ever going on when it most definitely wasn't!

Although it would be different going on a first date with a wizard when they'd already spent time together. Merlin, at least she wouldn't have to worry about making a good impression and wondering if the wizard sat opposite her actually liked her or not.

Because she had already spent time with Draco and _he_ had asked her out. Obviously he liked her.

Dear Merlin what had she let herself in for?

ooo

_24/07/2010, 19:07, Juniper, Diagon Alley, London_

"Thank You." Hermione murmured as she took the seat the waiter had so kindly pulled out for her. He responded with a warm smile before draping her lap with the napkin he produced in an extravagant flourish.

"I'll give you a few moments to look over our wine list." He directed to Draco who dismissed him with a nod of his head.

Watching the waiter leave until he disappeared into the kitchen, Hermione turned back to face Draco only to see him watching her. She smiled nervously.

"This is a really nice restaurant." She commented as she looked around. Harry's description of the restaurant from his date with Pansy had not done the room any justice. It was beautiful. "Harry told me there was a waiting list that was month's long. How in Merlin's name did you manage to get a reservation in only a few days?"

Draco smiled. "The proprietor is an old friend of the family."

Hermione nodded her head. "I know I shouldn't be pleased that we've managed to jump the queue…but I am. This place looks amazing and there is no way I would have managed to eat in here otherwise."

From opposite her, Draco frowned. "Why not? You're more famous than those two out there," he said as he nodded his head to the door where the flashes of cameras where frantically going off, surely blinding the object of their attention and making her entirely grateful Draco had managed to arrange for them to enter from the back entrance, "You would only need to show your face or tell them your name and I'm sure a table would open up."

Hermione shifted uneasily in her seat, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and denial. "I think you have a misapprehension of how "famous" I am. The war was a long time ago."

"And you're still well-known enough to grace the pages of the newspapers. Didn't I read a story about how you and Potter were supposed to be in a burgeoning romantic relationship not too long ago?"

Hermione snorted as she remembered the story and the accompanying picture of her hugging Harry goodbye after they'd shared a meal. "I don't think you can take anything the Daily Prophet writes as fact. Actually, I don't even think you can call it a newspaper anymore. They seem to run more gossip stories now than actual news articles."

Draco leaned back in his chair. "I have to agree with you there…In fact, I wonder why anybody hasn't decided to set up another newspaper company and go into competition with the Prophet. People only buy the Prophet because there's not anything else available…Maybe I should look into that…" he said mostly to himself.

Hermione smiled at his thoughtful tone. "Already bored of inventing new broom equipment for kids? Benji and Teddy will be most displeased." She found herself teasing.

At her tone, Draco looked almost startled for a moment before he smiled. "There's no reason why I can't expand Malfoy Limited to include a publishers. After all, diversification is good in the business world."

Hermione had heard the same thing. "I take it business is going well?"

A pleased look spread across his face before it fell and a grim one replaced it for a brief moment.

"Draco?" Hermione said softly.

That seemed to snap him out of his trance and he shifted his eyes back to hers. Whatever had caused the dark expression to fall across his face had apparently been pushed to the back of his mind.

"Business is going very well. I planned it so that the opening of the shops would coincide with the beginning of Summer and the school holidays."

Hermione found herself laughing out loud at his cunning thinking. She had no doubt his business would continue to do well if he continued to use his Slytherin deviousness in such a way. Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade became very crowded during the school holidays, particularly the Summer break, and parents with young children would be forced to bring them along when they carried out their errands. Those children would no doubt see Draco's shop and pester their mothers and fathers into buying them a treat or two in exchange for their good behaviour.

"Nothing passes you I see." She said with a smile.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "No, it certainly doesn't." he said in a deep voice.

Hermione's cheeks tightened as her natural smile turned into an unnatural one. Deciding to bite the bullet, she ploughed forward with asking her blunt question. "May I ask you a question?"

Draco nodded once without speaking.

"Why did you ask me out on a date?" Realising how ungrateful her words sounded, she quickly continued, "Not that I'm not glad…it's just, it seemed out of the blue. I didn't think that I was your type."

"Not my type. And what type would that be then?"

Hermione flushed red at his question. She didn't quite know how to answer his question without painting the women he dated, and in turn him, in an unpleasant light.

"Not me." She ended up saying simply with a small shrug of her shoulder.

Draco took a swig from his water before speaking. "Truth be told, I didn't think you were my type either. Or that I was your type…"

Hermione's mind drifted off to her list and she shuffled as warmth flushed through her. She listened as Draco continued.

"But things have changed since we've started spending some time together." And then his voice and tone altered and if possible, he became even more serious, "Things have changed in my life, particularly over the last few days. It's made me realise that maybe the things I thought were so important, aren't."

When he finished speaking, Hermione watched Draco immediately begin fidgeting in his seat, evidently embarrassed at what he'd just admitted. He looked away from her and she breathed in, about to reply when the waiter chose that moment to jump in.

Draco picked their wine and the bottle appeared on their table. She watched quietly as he went through the spiel of sniffing the wine, tasting a sip before nodding his acceptance. The waiter poured a small amount into both of their glasses before promising to be back in a few moments to take their order.

She watched Draco lift his wine glass and copied his actions.

"To new beginnings." He said as he raised his glass.

Hermione relaxed slightly at his toast. "To new beginnings." She said as she clinked her glass with his and they both took a sip. Her eyes remained on Draco's throughout the small process and an errant thought crept into her head.

Well, at least they weren't sure to have seven years of bad sex.

She managed to stop herself from choking on the wine but could do nothing about the sudden infusion of red in her cheeks. As if knowing what her thoughts had just been, Draco's lips twitched in amusement before he gave in and let out a dark chuckle.

Hermione simply blushed further.

ooo

_24/07/2010, 19:23, Flat 2, Above Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

Pansy entered her flat and immediately sank onto the sofa. Closing her eyes, she sighed tiredly, grateful to finally be home. After she had left her Uncle's chateau, she had hoped to be able to obtain an international apparition licence for that very same night. Julian had handled their travel to France but she had no mistaken ideas that he would simply and happily arrange for her to return to England. Believing her to be safe in the control of her mother and uncle, he had left her for the night, vowing to return the next morning so the two of them could discuss their wedding with her uncle.

Something which Pansy had no wish to do. And so she had walked straight out of her Uncle's chateau and apparated to the French Ministry. Only once she'd arrived, she'd found that international apparition licences were only issued from eight in the morning to five in the evening unless it was an emergency.

Pansy had gathered every ounce of her previous haughtiness and snootily informed the Ministry worker that it was in fact an emergency. When he'd asked her what the emergency was, the first thing out of her mouth had been that it was imperative she return to England to see to her ill mother.

A lie which the Ministry worker saw straight through when she'd told him her last name. And so she'd had no choice but to leave the Ministry empty handed and with nowhere to spend the night.

Apparating to the French equivalent of Diagon Alley, she had tried to get a last minute room at the local inn. They had been full but the kind, old housekeeper had directed Pansy to an inn she knew of which always had rooms vacant.

And when Pansy had arrived, it had been perfectly clear on why this was so. Telling herself it was only for one night, she'd checked herself in and followed a young man as he directed her to her room. She hadn't been able to hide her shock and disgust as he'd opened the door. Merlin, it had been worse that when she'd first viewed her flat and that had been an absolute tip before she'd moved in and perfected the art of the Scourgify spell by repeating it over a hundred times on every surface she saw.

The young man had placed her small case on the floor and simply grinned at her expression before informing her of when breakfast was available the next morning. Pansy had told him not to expect her for it and he'd merely grinned once more before leaving her alone.

Sleep that night had not been forthcoming and at seven the next morning, Pansy was already back at the Ministry, hoping to be the first in the queue in order to get her license.

She wasn't. The queue that faced her was already going halfway down the building and she'd taken her position tiredly. By the time she'd come back up to the window she'd found that the only time available for her licence was at 19:21 that evening. She'd taken it before the impatient man behind her (who'd been tapping his foot and tutting for the two and a bit hours they'd stood in line) completely lost his head and hurried away.

She'd whiled away the day at the old places where she'd spent so much time when she'd still lived here. A quiet bookstore that was rarely frequented by tourists, a café that made the crumbliest scones she'd ever eaten and of course, the Eiffel Tower.

And now, she was back…Back home. _Her_ home.

What was Harry doing right now? Had he noticed her absence yesterday? She couldn't believe it had only been two days since her dinner with the Weasley's. So much had happened since then.

Her nose wrinkled as she realised she and Harry still needed to talk. She suddenly wanted to see him right then…desperately.

But would it be okay for her to simply apparate over to his house. It was Saturday, he probably had company.

_Ginny?_ No he definitely wouldn't- would he?

Seven minutes of heated internal debate later, she'd finally had enough. Harry was her boyfriend wasn't he? And so what if he had company? They needed to talk about this late night encounter he'd had with his ex-girlfriend that he'd conveniently forgotten to tell her about. And she didn't want to wait until Monday evening to do so.

ooo

_24/07/2010, 19:34, Juniper, Diagon Alley, London_

Hermione covered her laugh with her hand for a few seconds before she found herself able to speak.

"Of course it's not true!" she said, her smile stretching out her words. She racked her brains. "You threatening to Bat Bogey Hex the businessman at the Ministry if he refused your loan?" she threw back.

Draco smiled as if he was hiding a secret and Hermione gasped out loud. "Oh Draco. You didn't!"

He didn't say anymore on the matter and Hermione wasn't sure if she should laugh or shake her head.

"Making your way through the Weasley men?"

Hermione bit her tongue and spoke innocently. "I take it you mean other than Ron of course?"

Draco's eyes narrowed as she mentioned Ron. "Of course." He said.

Hermione forced her laugh back down her throat and kept her face blank. "Oh and other than George…"

Draco's eyes bugged out of his head and Hermione couldn't hide her mirth any further. Draco sent her a dark look as he took a sip of wine.

Hermione continued. "Oh and of course there was that torrid affair I had with Bill when we were recuperating at Shell Cottage."

Draco froze at her throwaway words and Hermione's own smile dropped off her face. Her first instinct was to apologise. But she didn't. The past was the past. It had happened and it had been bad, but they were all moving on from it. One more apology wouldn't change anything. And so she pushed through the dark memories floating around their table and continued.

"I kissed Ron once at Hogwarts. The first time I saw Charlie after years was at the Weasley's dinner on Thursday. I have no clue what Percy is doing these days, although I hope it's something awful, and Bill is so in love with his wife and daughter no-one else even registers in his world. The story was most definitely not true."

She waited for Draco to remark but he didn't. Quickly she countered with one of her own gossip stories. "Dating that French model who was also sleeping with her husband's sister."

Draco laughed, the heavy mood evaporating instantly. "I don't remember that story."

Hermione frowned as she concentrated. "Actually, now that I think of it, I think it ran in Witch Weekly, not the Prophet."

"Regardless of where it ran, not true."

"Hmmmmm." Hermione said teasingly as she forked another piece of tender steak into her mouth.

"Hmmmmm." Draco repeated as he did the same. "Brewing a Polyjuice Potion and turning into a cat."

Hermione smiled.

ooo

_24/07/2010, 19:37, Flat 2, Above Silver Serpent Bar, Diagon Alley_

"Blaise?"

Blaise heard his name being called and turned in confusion at who it could be. He had purposefully picked the Silver Serpent Bar because he knew he wouldn't run into anyone he knew and therefore have to explain or lie about how Padma was and why he wasn't at home with them.

His eyes landed on a casually dressed Pansy and he instantly remembered that she lived above the bar.

"Pansy." He said in acknowledgment as he turned towards her. He swayed slightly on his stool and was surprised at the action. How many firewhiskey's had he drunk so far? He didn't think it would be enough to cause him to sway on his seat. And then he remembered the warning on the pain relief potion he had taken about mixing the medication with alcohol.

"Are you okay, Blaise?" Pansy asked him, concern evident in her voice.

"I'm fine, thank you Pansy. You should go back up to your apartment. I think we learned last time that this bar isn't the safest place for a witch like you to be in." he eyed her attire and handbag. "Unless you were on your way out?"

Pansy shook her head as she slipped closer to him. "I went to see Harry but he wasn't in."

"I hope things are going well with you and Harry."

He watched a frown appear between Pansy's plucked brows, the small lines in direct contrast with her answer, "Everything's fine."

He studied her closely while she did the same to him.

"Do you want to come upstairs? It's a lot less louder than down here."

Blaise had planned an evening of quiet drinking but he remembered how useful it had been talking to Pansy about his problems last time. And so he nodded his head and followed her up to her apartment.

ooo

"Can I get you a cup of tea?" Pansy asked as she watched Blaise deposit himself on her sofa. As he leaned forward so his elbows were on his knees, his head in his hands, Pansy wondered internally if she should offer him coffee instead.

He nodded without speaking and she busied herself with making the tea before she brought it over to him, deciding to sit in the seat next to him than in the opposite chair.

"I take it this is about Anthony? I assume he's still sending Padma letters and she's hiding them from you?"

Blaise snorted loudly as he dug his fingers into his head. "I wish that was what it was. But things have escalated since we last spoke."

Oh dear, Pansy thought mentally. And then she listened as Blaise told her just how much things had escalated since the last time they spoke. When he'd finished, a stark silence rang out in her sitting room.

She struggled to sift through the barrage of information Blaise had given her and the mixture of feelings she was experiencing. Poor Blaise. Poor Padma. Poor Benji.

"Where are you staying right now?" she asked.

"The House Hotel."

Pansy winced. She understood where Blaise was coming from in terms of him needing to clear his head but she definitely thought him moving out and leaving Padma alone was wrong.

"Do you still love Padma?"

Blaise turned towards her in a rapid jerk, anger in his eyes. "Of course I still love her."

"And you still love Benji? Still think of him as your son?"

"Yes."

"Then show them. Show Padma. Show Benji. Show Goldstein for Merlin's sake. Padma may have made a mistake in keeping things hidden from you but she was trying to protect you. And you made a mistake by stealing Anthony's letters and moving out without talking to her about it."

"You think it was a mistake for me to take some time to think things out?"

Pansy sighed. "Clearing your head, no…moving out, I'm sorry but yes. With you not living at home with Padma and Benji, its left things for Goldstein completely open. And he's not playing games anymore. Contacting Padma's parents was a dirty move but bringing them to your home was even dirtier. You need to show him that you can play just as dirty. You're a Slytherin- no-one takes away what's yours."

Blaise looked at her as she finished her little speech. Despite the slight air of tipsiness that still hung around him, she could see his eyes clearing.

"You're right." He said as he dug his fingers into his head once more and sighed loudly. "I've been an idiot haven't I?"

Pansy smiled. "Just slightly." She said as she picked up her mug of tea and took a tentative sip of the hot liquid.

Blaise did the same. "I saw the Prophet a few days ago. Is everything okay with you?"

Pansy nodded her head but it seemed it was her turn to bear all. And so slowly, she told him everything. About the dates she'd had with Harry. Dinner with the Weasley's. What Ginny had said at the table.

She had planned to keep quiet about Julian- finding it too embarrassing to admit it out loud but she found that once she'd started talking, she couldn't stop herself from telling Blaise everything.

And once she'd finished, she was glad as her chest felt lighter than it had in days.

"I'm sorry, Pansy." Blaise said, his hand coming to cover both of hers in her lap and giving them a little squeeze.

"It's okay. It's not as if anything's changed since I first came back to England. I knew my Mother would never support my decision to not marry Julian. And hopefully now Julian will get the message too."

"And what about Ginny Weasley?"

Pansy's hands tightened into fists. "I was planning on talking to Harry tonight but he wasn't home. You should have seen her at dinner Blaise. She wants him back- badly. And they have so much history…and their family."

"You're a Slytherin, Pansy. No-one takes what's yours."

Pansy smiled slightly before admitting her worries. "What if he's not mine to begin with? There just seems to be so many hurdles. One day he's going to wake up and realise it's not worth it."

"Don't listen to what your mother has been telling you. You can do better than an arranged marriage to man you don't love. You're strong. You've got your own flat. Your own job. You're not depending on anyone. Harry's an idiot if he doesn't think you're worth it."

This time Pansy smiled fully.

Maybe…just maybe?

ooo

_24/07/2010, 20:19, 14 Rosebush Way, London_

"You didn't need to see me to my door."

"Yes, I did."

Hermione smiled. "Well thank you. And thank you for dinner too. It was lovely."

"I had a good time."

"Me too."

"Good. So you wouldn't be adverse if I owled you then?"

Hermione turned to face him. "Why Mr Malfoy, are you asking me out on a second date?" she teased him, pleased that over the many times she had done so over the evening, he had lost his subsequent startled looks enough to begin teasing her back.

"Why Miss Granger, I was only informing you of my intentions of owling you. I never mentioned anything about a second date. How presumptuous of you."

Hermione laughed out loud and Draco cracked a smile too. "I'm sorry we're ending so early."

"Don't be, I understand early morning meetings are important. Particularly when your business just begun trading."

Draco didn't say anything and Hermione extracted her keys from her purse and inserted them into the keyhole before pushing open the door.

"Thank you again." She said as she turned back to face him.

"You're welcome. I hope we can do this again soon."

Hermione nodded her head, about to say goodnight when she saw his head leaning down to hers.

His kiss was light and almost chaste, landing mostly on her cheek but a small portion of his lips touched the corner of her mouth.

And that was it. It was such a contrast to their last, unexpected kiss that she was struck still for a few moments.

"Goodnight, Hermione."

Hermione swallowed. "Goodnight, Draco."

And she entered her cottage and heard Draco pop away.

ooo

_24/07/2010, 22:23, 3 St James Wood, London_

Hermione apparated into Padma's home and immediately looked around. Padma had been pacing in front of the fireplace and when she caught sight of Hermione, she quickly hurried over.

"Thank God you're here. I'm so sorry for calling you so late." She said as she hurried over to her.

"Is everything okay? You're Floo call said it was an emergency. Benji?"

Padma shook her head. "Benji's fine. He's asleep. I need you to just watch over him until I get back."

"Get back from where?"

"The Auror's just contacted me. They've arrested Blaise."

Hermione froze, her jaw dropping open. "What?!" she said as Padma hurried out of the room in order to pull on her boots.

"I can't believe this. I can't _believe_ he did this! I received a letter this morning from his solicitor but he had no chance- I mean _he left me_! But now! What was he thinking?!" Padma ranted as she yanked on a boot, struggling to fit her foot into it before she realised it was for the other leg.

Hermione was struggling to understand. "Blaise's solicitor sent a letter to you?" she asked, not liking the direction her thoughts were heading in. Blaise and Padma had to work things out.

Padma shook her head again. "No Anthony's did. There was no chance he could get even shared custody, but now! I can't believe Blaise. He doesn't want to talk to me but he has no problem doing this!" she zipped up her boots angrily.

"Uh honey, what exactly is it that Blaise did?"

Padma straightened back up, her thick hair swinging in a wide ark until it settled around her shoulders. Hermione had never seen Padma's eyes so hard and angry; it nearly caused her to take a step back.

"The idiot went and assaulted Anthony!"

And with that she apparated out.

* * *

_Author's Note: I know it's been a long while but I've been struggling with this chapter purely because from here on out, I've decided to completely disregard the story plan I wrote three years ago. This means I have no idea in which direction the stories for the characters are going so I'm afraid you'll have to bear with me whilst I sort this out in my head. I'm trying not to listen too much to the ideas running around in my mind right now because I think some of you would actually hunt me down in order to rant at me at what I'm currently thinking (think of Hand-Held and In Cruel Fate's Hands- just maybe not Hermione- I told you, you wouldn't like it). Anyway, hopefully those voices will quiet down soon and I'll dream up something else for that particular character as I would like the pairing to get their happy ever after. Although I don't think I've ever promised a happy ending for any of my three pairings (I'm evil I know). Regardless of the ridiculously long wait, I hope you enjoyed this update and thank you for reading. Until next time, Curiositykils. _


	25. Chapter 25

**_"The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn" Gloria Steinem (1935- present)_**

_24/07/2010 23:15, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

Padma couldn't believe it was eleven fifteen, practically the middle of the night, and she was standing here in the Auror's Holding Centre at the Ministry waiting to pick up her- only Merlin knew what Blaise was to her now- so she could apparate him to wherever he'd been staying.

The Auror behind the small window partition didn't seem to care that it was late on a Sunday night and she had a son to get home to. He didn't care to listen and answer her questions on why it was taking so long to have Blaise released, merely telling her in an annoyingly monotonic voice that she should calm herself and drink some tea.

Padma didn't want to drink tea. She didn't want to drink water. She didn't want to drink anything. Merlin, she didn't want to be here period.

Her anger hadn't calmed in the last forty-five minutes and she didn't see it calming anytime in the future. Utterly frustrated and with the wave of adrenaline leaving her, tiredness overcame her and she settled into one of the plastic seats in the waiting room. Running her fingers through her hair, she soothed the ache building at the back of her skull and fervently hoped that this would all be over soon.

"Padma?"

Padma lifted her head so quickly that black spots danced in front of her eyes. When they cleared, she stood from her seat. "Anthony." She said blankly, her eyes taking in his bloodied nose and the black eye already beginning to form.

"Are you here to see me?" he asked, looking around.

Padma snapped. "Of course I'm not here to see _you_. What happened between you and Blaise? No-one's telling me anything!" she said, gesturing wildly at the Auror safely ensconced behind his window partition.

At her harsh words, Anthony's otherwise handsome and open face turned to stone. "I'll tell you what happened." He snarled. "Your _boyfriend_ came over to my house and threatened me. When I threatened him back, he assaulted me."

Padma breathed in loudly. "What did you say to him?" she demanded.

"Did you not just hear what I said? Zabini was the one who turned up on _my_ doorstep."

"And I'm supposed to believe that Blaise attacked you without any provocation from you? Now tell me what you said- it's late and I want to get back home to Benji."

Anthony blinked, as if just realising the fact that she hadn't brought her son along with her. "Where is he?"

"At home of course."

"Who do you have looking after him?" he demanded to know.

Padma scoffed. "You have to be joking? You should have been wondering who's been looking after him for the last five years. You have no right to know who's looking after him right now."

"I'm his father!"

"No, you aren't. Blaise is! Now tell me what you said to him!"

Anthony's lips turned into a cruel smirk. "Did you get the letter from my solicitor?"

"Yes I did. And for an ex-Ravenclaw, you have to be remarkably stupid to think a judge is going to give you shared custody of Benji."

Anthony pointed to his face. "You're sure about that are you?"

Padma cursed Blaise mentally. What in Merlin's name had he been thinking?! "Yes, I am. Because one night doesn't make up for five years of providing for a child who isn't biologically yours. Now are you going to tell me what happened or not?"

Anthony's face twisted in anger. "Ask your boyfriend." He spat out before he turned away from her and walked away.

Padma gritted her teeth together and watched his back until he'd disappeared. And then she fell back down onto her chair, her fingers once more digging into her hair.

It was going to be a long night.

ooo

_25/07/2010 00:08, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

When Blaise stepped through the bars and into the waiting room, his eyes immediately landed on Padma. She was curled up on one of the ugly plastic chairs, her legs resting on the seat, her arms hugging her knees tightly to her chest whilst her head rested on top of them. Her eyes were closed and by the steady rise and fall of her chest, Blaise deduced she was sleeping. He wasn't surprised since it was past midnight.

He walked over to her slowly, making sure to make no obvious noise that might startle her awake. Hunching down, he brushed his fingers lightly through the length of her hair and rearranged it so he could see her face more clearly.

Angry blue and purple marks were evident under her eyes, made even more evident in the harsh lighting of the room and Blaise cursed at himself.

Stroking her crossed arms gently, he made to wake her up. "Padma," he murmured.

Her eyes flickered open, her head lifting slightly and her puckered brow showing momentary confusion at where she was. When she caught sight of him, her face softened and she graced him with a sweet smile he hadn't seen in days. And then her mind caught up with her, any traces of sleep were eradicated, and she stiffened under his touch.

Her head jerked back in surprise and she quickly stood from her seat as she looked up at him. He stood silently as her eyes scanned the injuries on his face before they slipped downwards to take in his bruised knuckles. Her eyes flicked back up to his and he saw the simmering anger hidden behind them.

"Blaise." She said stonily, her jaw jutting out at a dangerous angle.

"I'm sorry." He found himself saying.

Padma's response was to narrow her eyes until they were small black slits. "Sorry?! Do you know what you've done? What in Merlin's balls were you even thinking?!"

Before he could respond or she could continue, an Auror cleared his throat pointedly. Padma sent a glare his way before she twirled around, picked up her handbag and stalked towards the exit.

Blaise followed her, making sure to keep a careful distance between them. When they'd walked over to the Ministry's apparation points in the empty Atrium, she turned to face him.

"Where have you been staying?" she asked him in a horribly blank, neutral tone. "Or do you still not want me to know?" she added bitterly.

Blaise frowned. "It wasn't a secret. If you had asked me I would have told you."

Padma scoffed but she didn't comment on the matter further. "You didn't answer my question. It's late; I just want to drop you off and go back home so Hermione can get home herself."

"I've been staying at the House Hotel." He answered.

At the information, Padma merely turned around and entered an apparation point. Blaise followed her and held out his hand for her to take, feeling thankful for the first time since he had been told that he was no longer allowed to apparate until it was determined if Goldstein was going to press charges or not. He had missed Padma's touch.

His heart dropped slightly when instead of taking his offered hand, she grabbed onto his clothed arm and they were whisked away.

ooo

_25/07/2010, 00:14, The House Hotel, London_

Padma let go of Blaise's wrist as soon as her feet touched the floor. Nausea overtook her and she swallowed tightly to push back the bile rising in her throat. Merlin- she needed to get home.

She could feel Blaise's eyes on her but she had no idea what to say. She wanted to yell at him but the reception of a hotel was hardly the best place for their conversation to take place and she wanted to be fully alert when she spoke to him.

Not knowing what to say, she merely sighed tiredly. "I suppose I'll see you around then." She said as she shook her head.

She began to walk away when Blaise caught her arm. It was the first time she'd been touched by him in so long that her eyes closed at the familiar sensation of his warm hands on her cool skin.

"Padma wait-"

"No, Blaise. I told you it's late. I have to get up early for work tomorrow."

"How's Benji?" he asked.

Padma turned to face him angrily. "Maybe if you hadn't left me alone for the last five days you would know how Benji was doing!" she spat out as she pulled her arm out of his hold.

Blaise's face showed his regret. "_Cara_ please-"

Padma cried out at his endearment and her tenuous hold snapped. "Don't you _cara_me! Don't you dare! I received a letter from Anthony's lawyers yesterday. The bastard was asking for shared custody of Benji which he would have never gotten from any member of the Wizengamot. But then you had to go and beat him up. What were you thinking?! I've barely heard from or seen you in days, when I needed you the most you weren't there and I didn't have a clue where you were and now you go ahead and you do this!"

"Excuse me. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to calm down or leave." The night receptionist called out from behind the desk.

Chagrined and embarrassed at losing her temper in public, Padma nodded. "I was just leaving." She informed him.

"Padma, please wait."

"No!" she told Blaise firmly. "If you want to talk we can do so after I come home from work tomorrow. I'm not doing this right now. Not here."

"Padma-"

Padma ignored him and apparated away before he said anymore.

ooo

_25/07/2010, 09:12, The House Hotel, London_

Draco looked up to see his mother walking towards him. He stood from the table he had procured for the two of them and waited for her to reach him. His own lips mimicked the wide smile he saw on her face.

It may have only been a few days since he'd last seen her but ever since the end of the War, he had got used to their frequent daily talks and he'd missed talking with her and sorting through the happenings in his life and his plans for the business.

"Oh Draco." She cried as she neared him. She moved to hug him and Draco kissed her on the cheek swiftly.

"Mother." He said as he smiled down on her.

Pulling out her chair, he waited until she'd been seated before resuming his own seat. "How have you been?" he asked as the brunch he had already ordered before his mother's arrival was placed onto the table by two waiters who quickly vanished.

"I've been worried about you. How have you been? Are you having trouble finding a home?"

Draco shook his head at her mistaken impression. "I've been perfectly fine mother. I am still looking for a home but I don't want to rush into a decision purely because I have need of one. The Hotel isn't too bad."

His words didn't eradicate the worry from Narcissa's face. There was silence for a while as Draco poured them both some tea and Narcissa buttered a scone.

"How is Lucius? I trust he hasn't bothered you since my departure."

"Your father…has been as well as can be expected. He's still angry that you chose to exclude him from your business plans."

"I don't want him involved in my business."

"Draco…your father has extensive business knowledge."

"No- _Lucius_ has extensive knowledge on how to bribe and blackmail people in order to build up his businesses. I do not want him involved…at all."

"Draco…I know what you think of your father but keeping him in the dark so much…and allowing him to find out about your business in the paper. Allowing the both of us to find out about the opening in the paper…"

Draco let go of his mug and moved his hand to touch his mother's. "I'm sorry mother. But I knew that if I told you then you would feel guilty about keeping it a secret from him."

Narcissa studied him silently for a moment before she nodded. They both went back to their brunch.

"What have you been doing in the last few days?" he asked.

"I received another letter from Andromeda." She told him.

He stiffened at the news and Narcissa hurriedly continued. "Don't worry, I sent her an Owl informing her to send her future Owls when I know Lucius is in his study after dinner. She wants to meet up again."

"Do you have a plan as to how to keep this from Lucius?"

His mother hesitated. "The situation at the Manor is still…tense. I think it would be best if I decline Andromeda's invitation until things settle down."

Draco bristled but was stopped in what he was planning to say when his mother lifted a hand. "I know what you're going to say Draco but I still love your father. And he wouldn't understand or accept the fact that Andy and I are back in touch. I won't hurt him further."

Draco scoffed in disgust at the idea of his mother hurting Lucius compared to all the hurt he'd done to the two of them in his lifetime.

"I don't want to talk about this right now. I don't want to ruin our time together. Tell me how things are going with you."

Draco briefly told her how well the business was doing and brought her up to date on all the things he had kept hidden from her. He basked in the proud look that came across her face even though he was careful not to show it.

"I'm so pleased for you. But I've been worried about you- about how isolated you are now."

Draco knew what his mother meant. She'd stated how worried she was about him being alone and lonely before he'd left the Manor. But then he thought of his dinner with Blaise and Hermione.

And suddenly he wanted to share the fact that he _did_ have some friends.

"Actually, I had dinner with Blaise Zabini a few days ago. He's staying here as well."

Narcissa looked pleased at the information. "And I had a date with Hermione Granger yesterday."

The smile on his mother's face froze. "Oh."

Draco placed his cutlery back onto the table and studied his mother. "Oh?"

Narcissa shook her head but the frozen look remained on her face. "I hadn't realised you were still planning on pursuing Miss Granger. You have all the investors you need and the sales have exceeded your expectations. There's no reason for you to date Miss Granger to get into your customer's good books."

Draco hesitated and Narcissa pounced at the miniscule action.

"Draco, that is why you are pursuing Miss Granger, isn't it?"

"Of course it is." He brushed off, hoping that his dismissing action would put his mother's mind at ease. He was now wishing he hadn't brought up the topic of conversation and kept his mouth shut instead.

"Draco, my son, listen to me. I understand how much you are going through right now. And I understand that… company may help you in going through this difficult time. But Miss Granger is not an appropriate witch to spend time with."

Draco swallowed upon hearing his mother's words. "Appropriate," he said woodenly, feeling the word out in his mouth and not liking it, "Why not mother? Because she's a _Mudblood?_"

Narcissa reeled back at the anger in his voice. "Draco." She admonished as she nervously looked around to make sure no-one had heard him.

"I thought you were over Lucius's prejudices." He continued.

Narcissa looked worried. "Draco, you know I no longer think of Mud…Muggle-born's in that way. I wouldn't be in contact with my sister if I still thought that way. But darling, think of the family you come from. A Muggle-born witch would never understand the values and traditions of the Malfoy family."

Draco clenched his jaw, wanting to refute what his mother way saying but deep down in the pit of his stomach, the same feelings still churned away.

"Oh Merlin, Draco." She breathed out before lowering her voice to a whisper. "You aren't…in love with her are you?" she asked as if the world was ending.

Draco part scoffed and part laughed. "Mother, enough. We've been on one date."

"That isn't answering my question, Draco." She pushed.

Draco gave her a warning look at her prodding. "No, I am not _in love_ with her."

"…But you do like her. Draco…."

Draco had had enough of the conversation. "Enough, Mother. I do not wish to talk about this any longer. Let's not ruin our brunch." He said, mimicking her earlier words.

His mother knew when not to push him. She had heard the steel tone in his voice many times from his father but rarely from him and she knew to heed his warnings and back off.

For a few minutes the tension continued to hover over their table. Neither of them spoke and the scrape of their cutlery was beginning to grate on his nerves. Finally Draco sighed.

"Maybe Andromeda could come to the Manor when you know Lucius is going to be busy. That new house elf could keep a watch and inform you if Lucius suspects anything and she could apparate out." He said, bringing the conversation back to common ground.

Narcissa nodded her head. "I suppose we could try, although I'm not sure how receptive Andy will be about coming to the Manor."

Draco nodded his head. And once more, silence descended on around their table.

ooo

_25/07/2010, 09:33, Ministry of Magic, Level 2, 117 Euston Road, London_

Pansy breathed in a sigh of relief as she caught sight of the back of Harry's head on the other side of the department.

When she had lain in bed last night, she had felt empowered after her conversation with Blaise. She _was_ a Slytherin. Harry _was_ hers. She _would_ find out about what he and Ginny had discussed. And everything would be fine. She and Harry would move forward in their relationship, stronger now that they knew they could deal with the hurricane that was Ginny Weasley and survive.

But then little by little, those empowering thoughts had slipped away, leaving her with the doubts and worries that had plagued her.

She then felt a sense of thankful relief that Harry hadn't been home and she would have a few extra hours to gather herself before she talked to him.

Then this morning she had woken up to an Owl from Hermione Granger. It appeared the Weasley's were planning a party for Harry's birthday and Hermione had been tasked with inviting her. Pansy hadn't wondered too hard on whether the Weasley's were the ones offering the invitation or if Hermione knew her invitation would somehow get lost in the mail.

But one thing was clear. The Weasley's were here to stay. Ginny Weasley was here to stay. And if Pansy wanted to have a real relationship with Harry then she would need to gather every ounce of courage and confront both him…and the Weasley's.

She hoped to tackle the latter after talking to Harry but she knew she now had a deadline. The 31st of July. She didn't want to attend Harry's party at the Burrow and for there to be a tension between her and his family.

And so putting down the folders in her arms, she walked over to Harry. She waited a few feet away as he finished his conversation with Kingsley who she was sure shortened his chat with Harry when he saw her hovering behind him.

She sent Kingsley a warm smile as he walked away; hopefully managing to portray that everything had worked out fine in France.

"Pansy? Merlin- where have you been? When you weren't in on Friday I asked Kingsley where you were but he said he couldn't tell me."

Pansy smiled weakly. "We need to talk." She told him.

She watched the smile on his face slip at her ominous sounding words and she quickly rushed to correct his assumption.

"No- not like that. But we do need to talk. About Ginny…and other things."

Harry didn't look convinced but he knew what she was talking about. And so he sighed.

Pansy hesitated. "So are you free sometime today? Maybe after work?"

Harry sighed again and a lead balloon dropped in Pansy's stomach. She watched him run a hand through his messy hair in frustration. "I can't tonight. Kingsley's sending us on another mission and tonight we have a meeting which will probably go on until late."

Pansy bit her lip. "Tomorrow?"

Harry nodded his head in agreement but his features said the opposite. Something must have shown in Pansy's face as he continued. "I'm sorry. It's likely there will be another meeting but I'll find a way to see if I can get away for a while."

Pansy's bite on her lip tightened. But instead of saying anything, she merely nodded her head.

Both their heads turned to the side as another Auror called out Harry's name and jerked his head. Pansy looked back to Harry.

"I have to go." he told her.

Pansy nodded again and she made to turn away and get back to work. Harry grabbed her wrist before she could do so. When she turned back to him in question, he quickly dipped his head and kissed her lips softly.

"We'll talk." He whispered against her lips.

Pansy had to stop herself from letting the sudden cry in her throat out. "Okay." She managed to choke out in a whisper against his lips before he straightened and walked away.

Pansy watched him go as she gathered herself. A voice in her head piped up. Her talk with Harry might have been delayed but that didn't mean she could keep pushing back her talk with the Weasley's.

Tonight, she decided firmly.

As she walked back over to her discarded folders, she wondered if she should Owl the Weasley's and let them know she was going to be coming over.

In the next second she had decided against it. After all, once that Owl flew away, there was no way she could change her mind.

ooo

_25/07/2010, 12:04, Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

"Want to grab some lunch together?" Hermione asked Padma from across their desks.

She watched Padma stop writing and lift her head before she nodded.

Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief. Today had been crazy from the get go and she hadn't managed to catch up with Padma over what had happened with Blaise last night. Padma hadn't been in a mood to talk when she'd returned home last night and Hermione hadn't been in a mood to push.

Although disappointingly, she got the feeling from the anger that had been crackling in the air around Padma upon her return, that she and Blaise hadn't managed to get anything sorted out between them.

The two apparated to a café in Diagon Alley in silence and that silence stretched as they were seated and handed their menus. Hermione knew how to break it and she reached into her bag for the invitation to Harry's birthday party.

She slid it along the table and Padma looked up in question.

"It's an invitation to Harry's birthday party." She explained as she watched the other witch open it up and read over the details.

Hermione hesitated. "So, should I tell Molly that you'll be attending…as will Blaise?" she added on.

She smiled at the look Padma sent her. Her eyes were narrowed but somehow her brows were raised in question. The resulting look was quite amusing.

"Is that your not so subtle way of inquiring about last night?" Padma asked.

Hermione smiled. "You didn't look too impressed when you returned. Did you manage to see Blaise? Or did you leave him with the Auror's?"

Padma snorted. "If I had thought of that I would have…but no, I bailed him out. The idiot."

Hermione smiled sympathetically.

Padma let out a huge sigh before she spoke. "I told him that we would talk after work tonight. I was…am... still so angry. And worried. And scared. I saw Anthony before Blaise was released and I'm sure he was straight off to his solicitor's office this morning to press charges. I'm surprised I haven't received any new paperwork from him yet. But the day isn't over yet."

Hermione reached out and patted her hand- not knowing what to say.

Padma visibly shook off her thoughts. "Forget that. Tell me about your date with Malfoy."

Hermione felt an involuntary smile spread across her face. "It was nice. Really nice. We've kind of become…friends with the time we've spent together when I'm looking after Teddy but last night was different."

Padma laughed. "Look at you! I take it a second date is on the cards then?"

Hermione shrugged modestly. "He did mention something about Owling me." She said in a casual tone.

Padma smiled. "I can't believe this. I'm happy for you but who knew after all this time- the wizard you were looking for was Draco Malfoy!"

Hermione shushed her. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. It was our first date."

"Did you get that feeling?" Padma asked as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Hermione smiled. "…Sometimes."

Padma's jaw dropped comically and Hermione burst out laughing.

"You should invite him to Harry's birthday party." Padma said.

Hermione snorted. "And have him turning up at the Burrow? I can just imagine how well that would go down. I would like to go out with him again…maybe…and there will be no chane of that if Ron loses his head and hexes him."

Padma giggled. "Okay- maybe that wasn't the best idea I've ever had. But if you do continue to see each other, then Draco and the Weasley's are going to have to deal with each other eventually."

Hermione sighed, her good mood suddenly evaporating. "I know…Merlin Padma you should have seen how awful Thursday night dinner was with the Weasley's and Pansy."

Padma winced. "That bad?"

Hermione shook her head. "Worse. You know how Molly can get…"

"Actually…thankfully…I don't."

"Well you can imagine how Ginny got. It was just snide comments."

Padma frowned. "Why? What were they saying?"

Hermione shook her head. "Just silly things. Ginny implied that something had happened between her and Harry on the night she returned. Not that anything would have. Harry wouldn't do that. But it didn't help that Harry apparently hadn't told Pansy of Ginny's little visit. She wants him back- I know it."

"How are Pansy and Harry as a couple? I haven't really seen or talked to Pansy since she apologised at the dinner party." Padma said in a guilty tone.

"They're quite sweet together. I don't know if it'll work out in the long run but I know Harry likes her…so I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

Padma hummed. "Well then- hopefully they'll sort things out."

Hermione smiled. "Hopefully they're not the only ones."

Padma's smiled slipped slightly and it turned sad for a moment. "Hopefully."

ooo

_25/07/2010, 15:33, Ministry of Magic Level 4, 117 Euston Road, London_

Hermione watched a letter float onto the table in front of her. She picked it up, noting first the fact that it wasn't the usual inter-departmental memo and second, that the thick envelope was sealed with green wax bearing the Malfoy family crest.

She ripped the envelope open and smiled as she read the short note.

"And what's put that smile on your face?"

Hermione quickly folded the note back up again. "Nothing. Draco wants to meet up again tomorrow night."

Padma laughed. "Someone's keen." She said as she got back to work.

Hermione simply smiled.

ooo

_25/07/2010, 17:49, The Burrow, Devon_

Molly Weasley was busy preparing dinner when she heard a knock on the front door. She wiped her hands on the napkin, ready to go and open the door when she heard Ginny fly down the stairs.

"I've got it." She heard her daughter say.

Regardless, Molly walked out of the kitchen. They weren't expecting any guests and anyone in the family would have apparated directly into the Burrow.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Molly frowned at Ginny's voice and walked over to the door with a more hurried pace. She was shocked as she looked past her daughter's head to see who their guest was.

Her eyes narrowed. "Miss Parkinson." She greeted in a frosty voice. Looking around, she frowned to realise the witch was alone. "Harry isn't with you?" she asked.

Miss Parkinson shook her head and visibly swallowed. "Harry doesn't know I'm here. I've come to talk to you." She said before flicking her gaze back to Ginny's. "To both of you."

Molly's frown deepened as she studied the witch standing in front of her with mistrust.

"Well, I suppose you had better come in then."

ooo

Pansy swallowed the knot of nerves in her throat as she followed the Weasley matriarch into the family living room, horribly aware of the witch walking behind her.

She wasn't invited to sit down and so she got straight to the point before she lost all her gathered courage.

Lifting her head, she studied the two women standing in front of her before she spoke, "I wanted to talk about the dinner we had last week."

There was no response to her words and Pansy resolutely continued. "I realise the two of you don't…like me very much. But you're important to Harry, which is why I agreed to coming around to dinner. I don't want Harry to have to feel as if he has to choose between you and me, especially on his birthday…so I thought it best if I came over and we tried to clear the air."

Pansy congratulated herself for managing to say her part without stumbling and she tried to wet her dry mouth with her equally dry tongue. She kept her eyes mainly on Molly and was surprised to see the older witch studying her and seemingly acknowledging her words.

Pansy allowed herself a little victory as Molly indicated she should take a seat. "I know what you think of me…and I know you have good reason to think poorly of me. But I'm not the same girl I was in Hogwarts."

"And I'm sorry Miss Parkinson but I've long learnt that leopards don't change their spots."

Pansy sighed. "When I said what I said about Harry- I was a scared, young girl. I didn't know what I was saying. I just wanted to stay safe."

"And I kept my family safe and my family kept me safe by fighting for the good side. We would have never offered up anyone, even a supposed enemy, for our own safety."

"I never pretended to have the Gryffindor courage. There was a reason I was placed in Slytherin. But that doesn't mean I'm evil. There are many traits the hat sees in a person that means they're placed in Slytherin house. Ruthlessness. Possessiveness. Ambitiousness. And in my case, a highly developed sense of self-preservation. But those things in an individual don't make them evil. If push came to shove, I could have never hurt someone from the "light" side. All I wanted was to get out of the War alive."

"And you don't think that's selfish?"

Pansy frowned. _They still didn't understand! _"You fought because you had something worth fighting for. You had a family to protect. And they fought for you. I've never had someone fight for me. In my house, you learnt to protect yourself because no-one else was going to do it for you."

Finally, Pansy saw a small crack in Molly's armor. She heard a scoff and steeled herself before turning to face Ginny.

The witch was looking directly at her, her pretty features twisted in anger. "You want us to feel what…sorry for you?"

"No." Pansy began saying.

"What makes you think Harry would choose _you_ over us?"

Pansy frowned. "Excuse me?"

Ginny repeated her question. "You said you didn't want him to choose. What makes you think he would pick you over us, his family?"

Pansy's frown deepened. "It isn't who he would choose. It's the fact that he would have to choose in the first place. I don't want to put him in that position."

"Because you would lose." Ginny stated.

"Ginny-" Molly began saying.

"No Mum. We all know that if push came to shove, Harry would choose his family over any _witch_ he was dating. So no- I don't want to have to clear the air because you're scared Harry will eventually see you for what you really are."

"Ginny-enough." Molly said quietly.

Pansy stood. "Maybe I shouldn't have come."

"You're right- you shouldn't have. Especially since Harry will probably be breaking up with you soon anyway."

Pansy froze and she turned back to face Ginny. "Excuse me?" she said in a frosty tone- her armor once again coming back up.

She watched a satisfied smirk spill over Ginny's lips. "I take it he hasn't mentioned our kisses then?"

* * *

_Author's Note: Merry Christmas! I hoped you liked your present! I know it's been a long time coming (hides head in shame). I do have a new Veela story out called Mine and I have been concentrating on that recently but please don't worry, I will never abandon this story! As always, thank you for reading and until next time, Curiositykils. _


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